In the Shadows Beyond This World
by Yolashillinia
Summary: Novelization of Twilight Princess. Sequel to my other two Zelda fics. Link/OC, Zelda/OC. Written 2013. Complete.
1. Chapter 1: Return from Exile

Written 2013. Pairings: Link/OC, Zelda/OC, (Shad/Ashei, hints of Telma/Renado, Malon/OC, Ruto/OC)

Author's note: I don't like splitting timelines. My headcanon of game order is very different from Nintendo's official order. There will be references.

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Chapter 1: Return From Exile

Link opened his eyes. He felt heavy. His gaze swirled around woozily, coming to rest on a large man on a golden platform.

Only then did Link realize that he himself was on a grey platform, an island in a vast darkness. Light and beautiful patterned waterfalls came from above.

Directly in front of him, there was a golden platform. Standing on the pedestal was a man; a rather stout man; a man with rich red and gold robes and white hair and beard.

"Greetings, Hero of Time."

Link, still partly asleep, blinked before he realized the man was speaking to him.

"I am Rauru, the Sage of Light."

"Where are we?" asked Navi. Thank goodness, thought Link, she's still with me.

"We are in the Temple of Light, in the Sacred Realm."

 _What?_ Link thought to himself. _I've been here before. What was going on?_

 _._

As Link curled up on his old bed, he looked at Navi.

"Do you think the king would know of my father?"

"I don't know if the king is alive," Navi answered hopelessly. "Go to sleep. We need to save the Gorons in the morning."

Link smiled slightly and rolled over, breathing gently.

.

…And woke up, staring at the ceiling of an inn. He lay there for a moment, remembering where he really was.

He was in an inn, a tiny little building on a road from nowhere to the unknown, far from Hyrule. He was wandering again, as he had been for the last seven years. Aimlessly, now, but with the vague idea that he should start heading for Hyrule again soon. He missed it.

Demon had left their group a long time before, taking Tatl and Tael with him. Link often wondered if the mysterious spirit would be a force for good or evil, or only an observer. Whatever the mask was, Link was sure Demon could take care of himself.

He sighed, glancing at the window. It was not yet dawn, and it was early summer. Navi slumbered on his chest on top of the blanket, her glow soft in the faint light filtering through the curtains. Disturbed by his breath, she twitched and glanced up. "Link?"

"Hi, Navi. How are you?"

She yawned. "I'm awake. Why are you awake?"

"I had a dream."

When he didn't elaborate, staring off into space instead, she fluttered up in concern. "It's not a bad dream, is it?"

He raised his left hand so she could perch on it where he could see her without folding his neck. "Well… I dreamed of the day we came through time to… I guess it's now." He finally focussed on her. "Navi, I'm going to relive everything."

"Oh dear," Navi answered, stretching, but her voice was concerned. "A lot of good things happened… er… now, but some bad things are going to happen."

"Yes."

She studied him. He was staring off into space again. "And you've been recovered so well!"

He chuckled a little at that. "I guess I have. I'll just try to remember that… I mean, there's nothing I can do about it…"

"No, don't remember that. Just remember it happened seven years ago for us. They're just dreams. They can't hurt you if you don't want them to. And there's so much exciting stuff that we did!"

"That's true. And you're still with me. We'll get through this."

"We will. Just hang in there. …Are we going to get up, or laze about in bed?"

Link laughed again. "What would I do without you, Navi?"

"I wonder why I didn't have the dream?"

"I couldn't say…"

"Oh well. Please tell me what happens! Like a story?"

"I guess I can do that!"

.

A year later, Link woke up thrashing and screaming. Rana was dead, she was dead in his arms, and there was nothing he could do about it… helpless in spite of the power of Farore that inflamed his spirit with his indomitable determination…

No. That was over. It had been months since the days had counted down to that one terrible day. He flung the sheets off, soaked in cold sweat, as Navi fluttered anxiously around his head. "Link?"

He didn't answer. He didn't have to. She knew it had happened again. As it always did.

After the first vision of the time he had lived when he was nineteen, the visions had kept coming, day after day. Epona was in them, and Malon and Saria and Darunia and all his former friends. He rejoiced to see them again, but braced himself for meeting Rana.

And she was there, as real as anything felt in the dreams, as beautiful and messed-up and kind and brave as he remembered. He loved her. She loved him. And then she died.

And she died again and again every night since.

.

Nearly two years later, surrounded by spring blossoms, he solemnly made his way down the side of a pleasant valley on the edge of Hyrule. At least, he thought it was the edge of Hyrule. The land he loved was larger than he'd ever been able to explore, and he'd never gone all the way to the edges in any direction. But he guessed that he was close enough.

Epona snorted beneath him as a low-hanging branch of forsythia brushed her nose. One day he had woken up to find her standing over him, and Navi's glow bright in a smile. Had his horse been looking for him? He wouldn't put it past her. She was the best horse in Hyrule, and that included intelligence.

He was no longer dressed in green, but in a farmer's shirt and trousers and wrap.

"Are you sure about this?" Navi asked yet again from his shoulder.

"Yes. I don't want anyone to know it's me. They'll fuss and I'm not… not ready for that."

"No, you aren't, but shouldn't you at least let Zelda know you're back?"

"No… not yet. Have patience with me a little longer."

"And I can't stay with you while you're settling in to this village. Because that will give you away."

"Well, you can stay in my house. I know you're good at hiding."

She relaxed. "You know, for the longest time, I thought you were going to send me away completely. That would have been bad! I can't help you if I'm not around! And you need help!"

He sighed and looked away from her, bobbing up and down in front of him over Epona's neck. "I… yes. I do."

"You don't scream at night anymore, but you're still thrashing, so I _know_ the nightmares are still there, and you haven't smiled properly in _months_. You better make a friend or two in this village."

"I will. I'll try. I promise."

She bumped his cheek in the fairy equivalent of a kiss, and then burrowed into his saddlebag.

He passed through pale green fields full of blue goats, and a burly man gawked at him. The village itself was tiny, only a half dozen houses at most, and people were beginning to stare from the windows. He looked behind him and saw three curious round faces peering at him from behind a fencepost. He nodded politely at them, and they giggled and disappeared.

A young woman strolled breezily up to him. "Hello, stranger! What brings you here?"

"I'm looking for a place to settle," he told her. "My name is Green." He hoped she wouldn't hear the tiny hesitation before he gave her his pseudonym. Navi had told him it was unimaginative, but he didn't like any of her suggestions either. "Would you have need of a horseman at all?"

"Absolutely," she answered. "Fado could always use help with the goats. Let me just tell Daddy." She turned to the large house on Link's right and bellowed into the door. "DADDY! SOMEONE TO SEE YOU!"

Green dismounted and waited while the man he presumed to be the mayor of the town emerged blinking from the house.

"Ah, hello!" The man bobbed his head and offered a hearty handshake to Link. "My name is Bo. I'm the mayor of this village. Who might you be?"

"His name is Green, and he wants to live here and help with the goats," the girl said.

Bo blinked again. "Is that so?"

"Yes, sir," Green answered. "I'm from Hyrule, but I've been wandering… a long time."

"You have a sword, there. You know how to use it?"

"Yes, sir."

"You should talk to Rusl, then. He's our swordsman, a former Hyrulian Guard, from Kakariko. We don't have a monster problem at all, not since we settled here, but it's good to know we'll be well defended if we do. But yes, please go talk to Fado. He's been looking for help for ages, and Talo and Colin aren't old enough to help yet…"

Green withstood the onslaught of names quietly. "I'll do that. Thank you."

"Hey!" the girl said again. "I'll show you where you can live. We have a place… It's not the greatest place, but it's a roof over your head, and we'll help you fix it up."

"That sounds good to me," he answered. "What was your name?"

She flashed a brilliant smile. "I'm Ilia."

"Pleased to meet you both."

.

He settled there in Ordon Village, his green tunic and other gear hidden in the basement of his house, his sword lying idle by the door. Navi hid in his kitchen. He rarely had guests into his house, so she was fairly safe from discovery, but she was still careful.

The dreams did not abate. So much for his hope that just returning from Hyrule would help him.

So he helped Fado the goatherd with the blue ring-horned goats, and sparred in the evenings with Rusl while Ilia and the children of the village – Talo, Malo, Beth, and Rusl's son Colin watched. Green usually got the better of Rusl, but not always. And even though he was the better swordsman, he was unsure about 'teaching' a man older than him. But as the weeks passed, he became more comfortable with that idea and he found himself challenged more and more to defeat his opponent as Rusl began to catch up to him.

The children were drawn to him for some reason. Talo was always strutting around, obviously hoping his antics would impress Green. Malo, his baby brother, was barely old enough to walk but had already mastered not only speech but apparently philosophy and business as well. Beth was the oldest of the four children, and showed it by trying to boss the others around, often fighting with Talo. Colin was the most shy of the whole lot, but Green liked him perhaps the best. Colin was kind-hearted and gentle, disciplined, and he practically worshipped Green, who tried to be a mentor to Colin as best he could.

Such was the situation when one day he was disturbed by Talo shouting outside his house. "Hey! Green! Come show us some more swordfighting! Pleeeaaase?"

Link glanced out the window and saw all the children lined up there, equal puppy-eyes on each one. He sighed in acquiescence, put down the dishcloth, took up his practice sword, and went outside to them.

"Yay!" Talo cheered. "When can I learn to use a sword, huh? Huh, Green?"

"When you can be trusted to use it only for good, and not to get in trouble," Green told him solemnly, and Talo giggled.

"I promise I'd only use it for good! So when you gonna teach me, huh?"

"Well, let's look at those skinny arms of yours. You think you can hold a sword without some upper body muscle?"

Beth and Colin laughed at Talo trying to flex his arms. Talo growled in what he hoped was a masculine fashion, but sounded more like a large puppy.

Green nodded. "That's a good start but you need more than that. Have you been doing push-ups?"

"No… what's that?"

So Green showed them his warm-up routine, and Talo tried it before giving up after only eight push-ups and four sit-ups. Green had the idea that Beth would have tried too, but she thought it was unladylike, and Beth wanted to be a lady. And Colin would have tried it, but he didn't want Talo and Beth to laugh at him.

"Well, if you do those every day, you'll be able to do more with time," Green told Talo.

"But it's hard," Talo whined. "I think I'll wait until I'm grown-up and then it'll be easy."

"It really doesn't work that way," Malo said to his brother. "You have to invest time and energy in order to get any return on your ambitions."

Green snorted. "Anyway, you wanted to see some form?"

"Yeah!" Talo picked up a stick. Green frowned at him until he put it down again, pouting.

He turned to the practice dummy and began to shower it with an onslaught of attacks, dodging back as if it would attack him back. Sweat began to gather on his forehead and his back. It was a warm day, and he wondered how he would fare if he had his tunic and chainmail on on top of everything.

Talo's attention had evidently been wandering again. "Hey! There's a monkey over there!"

Green paused and looked around. There was a small monkey with a red flower watching them curiously from the bushes on the edge of the forest.

"Go away, monkey!" Talo cried, picking up the stick again and running towards it. It fled.

"Hey!" Green shouted as Talo disappeared into the undergrowth. "Come back! It's not hurting anyone."

"Well, the monkeys have been stealing things…" Beth said. "They stole Colin's mom's baby cradle! So… yeah. But he'll probably come back in a minute."

Green frowned at the forest. "I don't like Talo running off like that. What if the monkey leads him into the deep woods? There might not be monsters but it's still dangerous for him to be out there alone. Wait here."

He climbed the ladder to his house swiftly and traded his wooden practice sword for his real sword. "Talo's run into the forest," he whispered. "I'm going to go get him back before he gets into trouble."

"Be safe," Navi whispered back from wherever she was hiding.

He re-emerged from his house and whistled for Epona. She came trotting out of the pasture behind his house and he mounted her bareback. "Stay here and stay out of trouble."

"We don't cause trouble," Beth sniffed.

Malo grumbled. "Not like that brat. Though he can't have gone far on those short little legs."

Colin trotted over to Green, looking up with worried blue eyes. "Should I get my dad?" he asked.

"If I'm not back in ten minutes, then yes, go ahead. But I'll be back in ten minutes." He turned Epona for the forest and urged her forward.

He passed the Spirit's Spring on his left. Talo's bare footprints showed clearly in the soft soil at this point.

The Spirit's Spring was a small waterfall that splashed into a sandy pool; the water had healing powers. The villagers said the pool was supposed to be home a spirit that protected Ordon Village. There was another one like it in the woods, and Green wondered if there were others in Hyrule. He hadn't seen them when he had saved the land three years before, but Rusl had hinted that in the aftermath of Ganondorf, the whole country had changed substantially in geography as well as other ways. Green didn't know what to make of that. But according to the maps Rusl had shown him of Ordon and the surrounding area, changes were evident even in the forest.

Ordon was a small province on the edge of Faron province, the southern third of Hyrule. Faron Woods stood between Ordon Province and Hyrule Field, where Kokiri Forest and the Lost Woods had been. But it was not Kokiri Forest, because the Deku Tree would not have let non-Kokiri through, and it was not the Lost Woods, because there was a regular and unshifting road through it, though he had not yet travelled it.

Talo's footsteps disappeared at the bridge across the ravine between Ordon Province and the Faron Woods. But they pointed straight to it.

Epona trotted across the bridge, where Talo's footsteps picked up again on the soft edge of the road.

Then there were other footprints Green halted Epona and looked carefully at them. They looked like Bokoblin footprints. He loosened his sword in his sheath as he came across a point where the footprints were all mangled together, and urged Epona on faster.

A gate across the road barred his way, a crude gate, with creatures standing around it. Alerted by Epona's hoofbeats, they jabbered at Green, brandishing rough weapons. But they scattered at Epona's charge, and she leapt the fence with no trouble.

The forest was full of Bokoblins. That was wrong. What had they done with Talo?

Green urged Epona even faster, wishing Navi were there to help him track Talo's passage at speed. The boy couldn't have been more than a minute or two ahead of him, even if the Bokoblins who captured him were running as fast as they could.

There, there was a great tree rising out of a hill, and at its base was Talo… and the monkey, both in cages. Green unsheathed his sword, prayed that the Bokoblins didn't have ranged weapons at all, and charged them.

The Bokoblins scattered. Two of them fell to his sword and one to Epona's flailing hooves, but they disappeared swiftly, leaving the cages to him.

"Talo! Are you all right?" Green jumped off Epona and ran to him.

Talo was shaking, his face pale, but he nodded. "Th-they didn't hurt me. Or the monkey. She's actually kind of nice. She tried to help me."

Green sighed in relief as he opened both cages. "Thank you, Miss Monkey." He thought he heard a chittering noise that sounded like "You're welcome," before the monkey bounded off into the trees.

He boosted Talo onto Epona and then got on behind him. The Bokoblins were still nowhere in sight. "Let's get back before any of those creatures come back. It's been way more than ten minutes; Rusl is probably getting worried."

"You told him?" Talo sounded really worried. "I'm going to be in so much trouble!"

"I had Colin tell him. I came straight for you. Talo, even if there aren't Bokoblins around, it's still dangerous in the forest. You know you're not supposed to be out here alone."

Talo pouted, but he knew Green was right. "I wasn't going to go far…"

"Ah! Green! There you are!" There was Rusl, hurring towards them on foot. "You found him, I see. Thank goodness."

"Yes, but I have worrying news. There was a band of Bokoblins." Green let the implications of that sink in for a minute.

"There haven't been monsters here since the fall of Ganondorf."

"I know. I don't know what it means yet."

"Well the first thing that means is we'll have to lock the bridge gate."

"Am I going to get spanked?" Talo quavered.

"Probably," Rusl said. "But I'm not your father. We'd rather learn about the monsters without having a heart attack over your disappearance, lad."

Talo hung his head.

Green dropped Talo off at home while Rusl inspected the bridge gate to make sure it was secure and would stand up to Bokoblins. Then he rode straight to Bo's house. The mayor was sitting on the porch, reading a book.

"Bo," Green said, dismounting as the older man looked up. "We have a problem. Talo ran into the forest just now, and there were Bokoblins there. I saved him, don't worry. But… I don't know what that means yet." He took off his sword and leaned it against the porch.

Bo frowned. "You'll have to find out where they're coming from. Or… there's another possibility."

"Hi, Green!" Ilia chirped from the doorway before Green could answer. "Hi, Epona!"

"What's the other possibility?" Green asked, waving at Ilia.

"Well… it's the Princess's birthday in a week or so. We were going to send a representative with a present for Princess Zelda, for the celebration. But you could go a bit early and see if she'll grant you an audience. Warn her about the monsters, ask for help, find out if there are monsters anywhere else in Hyrule."

Ilia wasn't listening. "Green, what's this?"

"Huh?"

"This… this gash! What happened? You were going too fast through the trees, weren't you? How could you be so careless?" There was a deep and bloody gash in Epona's left shoulder.

"Ilia, but…" Bo began.

"Father! Don't defend him! He can't be so irresponsible with his poor horse! Come on, Epona, we'll go heal your shoulder in the Spirit's Spring."

"But… Ilia! We need to…"

"It's all right," Green said as Ilia's figure dwindled up the road, his horse in tow. "The water will heal Epona. I didn't even notice. It must have come when we charged the Bokoblins at the gate."

"I'm amazed she had the nerve to do that."

"Epona's no stranger to charging into a fight," Green said. "We did it many times when we were wandering. She's more of a warhorse than a farmhorse."

"I guess she is," Bo said. "But… your journey to Hyrule Castle…"

"Can wait until tomorrow," Green answered. "I can start in the morning."

"That's a good idea. Then you can get to the edge of the forest by sundown and stay at the ranch."

Green turned to him curiously. "Lon Lon Ranch?"

"Yes, it's not in the middle of the field anymore, closer to the edge. Run by Miss Malon and her husband."

Green smiled involuntarily.

"Look at that, you can smile!" Bo said. "I take it you know Miss Malon?"

"She raised Epona, of course. It's good to know she's married. That sounds like a good plan. I'll go talk to Ilia and make sure she understands what really happened."

Green picked up his sword and left in the direction of the Spring, missing the pondering look that Bo gave him.

.

Ilia had locked the gate to the Spring by the time Green arrived there, having put his sword back in his house.

"You! You can stay out!" Ilia snapped, not even turning to look at him. But Green saw Colin in there too.

"Green, I'm trying to explain what happened. Just hang on."

The gate to the Spring was sturdy enough, but it was also climbable if you happened to be tall-ish and reasonably light and strong. Green waited a few minutes, then softly clambered over and dropped gently to the sand.

Ilia didn't notice his approach. "I… wow, Colin, I had no idea. I just saw the wound and… I guess I panicked. I should apologize."

"You don't have to," Green said. "I understand."

She jumped, and scrambled to her feet. "Oh, you got in… Um… Hi."

"Hi."

"She's all better now. She'll be fine for tomorrow. You're not leaving until tomorrow, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am. Thanks, Ilia. I wouldn't have noticed it until I got home again."

"She's a very patient horse."

"And thanks, Colin, for getting your dad."

"Talo's mad at me now," Colin said. "I think he's grounded. But I don't think he'll stay put…"

"Not if I know Talo," Ilia snorted. "He can't stay still for two minutes together. Green…"

Green waited.

"I guess your journey might be dangerous. And… I don't know what will happen at the end of it." She hesitated. "I guess what I'm trying to say is… come back safe. Don't be a hero."

Green almost smiled. "I don't know if I can promise that. But I promise to come back safe."

Ilia did smile. "Yeah, I guess you were a hero today. Thanks."

Green's ears twitched and he looked around. "Do you hear… like… a rumble?"

Ilia barely had time to scream as a giant boar crashed through the gate to the Spring.

"Get behind me!" Green shouted, dropping into a fighting crouch. His sword was still at his house…

A Bokoblin on the back of the boar fired an arrow. He tried to catch it but he wasn't fast enough… He heard Ilia shriek again and growled. Colin had fainted… Epona was rearing in panic…

The boar swept by him and one of the Bokoblins swung a club at him. He didn't dodge in time…

.

When he came to, he was lying on his back in the pool. His forehead felt fine. He guessed the water of the Spring had healed whatever head injury he had sustained.

But why was he still alive in the first place? Wouldn't the Bokoblins have killed him?

Taken out by a bunch of Bokoblins. He sat up slowly and shook his head in shame. That was pathetic.

He was alone. Where were the others? He jumped up and saw only the destruction of the gate. There was no blood in the pool, so perhaps the others were still alive. Perhaps Ilia hadn't been injured too badly by that arrow.

He sprang to his feet and ran. The trail of the boars wasn't too hard to follow. There was definitely more than one. It led him in the direction of the bridge, but before he even got close he was stopped by a wall of oily blackness covered in glowing orange designs.

He stared at it in disbelief and angry incomprehension. What was this thing, and how dare it block his path at this of all times? What would happen if he touched it? Could he get through…?

Before he could touch it with his hand, a giant black hand reached through, seized him around the throat, and hauled him roughly into the darkness.

Everything hurt. Stars flashed in front of his eyes, but he got an impression of a black, disk-shaped face fringed with tentacles, and a pair of giant claw-like hands. He couldn't breath the air, and not because it was choking him particularly hard. The Triforce on the back of his left hand, covered with fingerless workgloves to hide it from the villagers, was searing hot.

The creature seemed to feel the Triforce, because it flung him away abruptly. He fell roughly to the forest floor. Even the forest was changed. The sky was purple. The trees were black. The grass was grey. And everything glowed strangely in green and gold…

The pain in his body overwhelmed him, and he felt a scream bursting out of his throat – a scream that halfway through changed to an animalistic roar as he felt his body changing. It felt like it did when he used the transformation masks in Termina. But different, strange, wrong.

He fainted.


	2. Chapter 2: Reunions

Chapter 2: Reunions

.

He stirred groggily some time later. How much later, he had no idea. He grunted and snorted, and his voice was not his own.

He struggled to his feet, shaking his head to clear it, and… wait, he was on all fours.

His hands were paws. His feet were paws. His nose was long and covered in short, soft fur. He panicked and tried to jump backwards from himself, but he didn't go far as his left paw was chained to a ring in the centre of the dark stone dungeon in which he found himself.

Then he really panicked and darted as far as the short chain would let him, snapping at the air, a noise in his chest that sounded like it would grow into a desperate howl if only he knew how to howl. He bit at the ring around his wrist frantically.

Someone tittered outside his cell, and instantly he drew back, on his guard.

There was a shadowy figure there, small and curvaciously shaped. He caught a glimpse of a red and yellow eye, and orange hair.

"You're in a bit of a state, aren't you?" said the creature. Well, yes, he was. He had been a Deku, a Goron, a Zora, even a demon, but he had never been a wolf before, and frankly, it was disturbing him a lot.

"I'm so glad I found you," said the creature, disappearing for a second and popping up in front of his nose, right in his personal space. He growled warningly. "You think you're scary, huh? Well, if you want to get out of here, you might want to start acting a bit more friendly, hmmmm?" Its – her voice was like Navi's, but sharper. Her body was black and white, with strange green runes and designs on it. She was actually kind of cute, if not for the terrifying horned stone headdress she wore.

He swallowed his next growl and sat back as best he could.

"That's a good little wolf, eeheehee!" the creature snapped its fingers and a tiny spark of orange energy snapped the chain binding him to the floor. "Now, I bet you're wondering where you are, aren't you?" She drifted backwards, passing through the iron bars on the front of the cell in the form of a hundred tiny bubbles, and then recoalescing into herself again. "If you can make it out here, maybe I'll tell you!" She stretched and yawned, and then winked at him, giggling.

Well that turned out to be simple enough. There was a loose bar in the cell, and he set his broad wolfy shoulder to it until it bent enough that he popped out into the corridor outside his cell.

The being was nowhere to be seen, at least not until she sprang out of nowhere and landed on his back. He jumped and bucked, trying to dislodge her, but she clung on and then grabbed his ears. It hurt.

"Look, now," she said reasonably. "I'll make you a deal. I'll help you escape this place, but in return, you must obey my every command!" There was an unconsciously arrogant tone in her voice, as if she found it only natural that he should want to obey her commands. He didn't trust her, especially since she hadn't told him where they were yet, but on the other hand, she had set him free, and she was the best chance he had of getting out.

He growled, but stopped bucking.

"That's a good boy!" She patted his side roughly. "Now go forward, into the next cell."

She guided him through the cells, and eventually to a great tower with a spiral stair. Under the stair, he heard a moan and cautiously crept closer to check it out.

There was a guard huddled there, in armour and a familiar-looking uniform. Except he was a ghost. He shivered and moaned again. "Am I even safe here? Where did these horrible black things come from?" He stared right through the wolf and his strange rider.

"Eeheehee! He can't see you! That's the nature of the state of where we are. Some soldier, huh? Hiding under the stairs. Maybe we should get him a bed to hide under. Oh well. Keep going. Up the stairs! There's someone I want you to meet." She tittered again, obviously enjoying some private joke.

He scampered up the stairs and out through the door at the top.

He emerged into light and wind and the top of a wall. It was the inner wall of some castle. It would have been a marvellous castle if not for the eerie gold and black lighting. The great central tower rose high into the sky, glimmering and pale, and each of the towers of the inner wall stretched out bridges to it. Down beneath the wall, he could see strange colourless trees and other plants, clearly some kind of garden. The sky was pitch black, with glowing golden clouds fluttering across it as if in a high wind. Bits of black _stuff_ floated up into the sky. He wondered… had he been taken to some distant and cursed kingdom?

"Have you guessed where we are yet?" giggled his rider.

He began to shake his head, and then caught sight of the crest beneath his own feet.

A stylized bird, with outstretched wings and the Triforce for a head… That was the crest of the Royal Family of Hyrule. This was no distant kingdom. It was home. Zelda had done a wonderful job of rebuilding the castle. And yet… what had happened to it?

The creature on his back yawned impatiently. "Come on. I still need you to meet this person. I think you'll like her. Just in that next tower along the wall!" She kicked his sides and he started forward with a yelp.

Black bird-things with giant, un-bird-like heads attacked him, and he snapped at them, driving them back.

There was no door on that side of the tower that he could see, and the birds were close behind him, but there was a window, and he leapt for it. The birds gave strange screeches, deprived of their prey.

The inside of the tower was dark and it took his eyes a second to adjust. His rider, apparently not needing anything like that, kicked him again, urging him up the stairs.

There was a wooden door, and it stood partly ajar. He pushed it open with his shoulder and walked in cautiously.

On one side of the room was a fireplace, a tiny table, and a worn chair, on the other, a hard-looking bed. A cloaked and hooded figure, not a ghost, stood with its back to him, staring out a window. It was too small to be Ganondorf, but he growled before he caught that the Eye of Truth was emblazoned on the back of the cloak.

The figure gasped and turned to him quickly. He met brilliantly blue eyes peering at him from under the hood and over a purple scarf.

"Zelda?" he tried to gasp, but it came out only as a wolfish yelp.

She took two steps towards him, and then sank to her knees, glancing at him all over. "Link? Is… is that you?"

"It certainly is, Princess," giggled the creature on his back, floating up like a helium balloon. Link glanced down to his left paw, where the Triforce glowed golden.

"How did you get here? Where… how… I'm so glad you're back, even if the Twilight has done this to you." She reached out and hugged him, burying her hands in the soft mane of fur on the back of his neck. He rested his head on her shoulder. He was glad to see her too.

"Well obviously he can't answer any of your questions," the little imp snorted.

Zelda drew back and looked at her. "Midna, this is no laughing matter. My guard was questioning me about you today. The shadow creatures are looking for you. You have to be more careful." Midna turned her back in a pout. "Why are they looking for you?"

"I don't know," Midna replied sulkily. "You tell me… Twilight Princess!" She laughed again, bitterly now.

"Midna," Zelda sighed before turning back to Link. "You must have so many questions. I can only answer a few… Two days ago, Hyrule Castle was attacked. I don't know where they came from, and they seemed to come from… some kind of portal in the sky just inside the main gates, but it was an army of black monsters, not any kind seen in this world. My soldiers fought as they could, but three years isn't enough time to build an army from scratch. They were completely outmatched. The creatures fought their way to the throne room at the top of the main tower… I could feel them coming. They destroyed my personal guard. They didn't approach me directly… But their leader appeared then."

"Zant," Midna spat onto the stone tiles next to Link. "The Usurper."

"He gave me a choice. Either I would surrender, or he would destroy the entire kingdom." She buried her face in her hands. "If I had fought on the front lines, perhaps more of my soldiers might have been saved…" Link nuzzled her shoulder. "Anyway, I surrendered, of course. But this is almost as terrible, for even though the people yet live, it is only as ghosts in the Twilight, and their lives are shrouded in fear. Oh, Link, please help us! I'm such a terrible Princess, only three years and already the kingdom has fallen again… I'm glad that at least I sent Rana away to Ordon before any of this happened…"

Link's eyes went wide and he jumped to his feet, his mouth hanging open.

A door slammed open at the bottom of the stairs.

Midna sprang onto Link's back. "Okay, we gotta go! See you later, Princess!"

"Talk to the Light Spirits!" Zelda said, her blue eyes anxious and sad. "They may be able to help you regain your true form and lift the Twilight."

Link dashed down the stairs to the window he had entered by and scrambled through it. He hoped his scrabbling hadn't been heard by the guard, but the guard was making enough noise himself that he was probably safe. And Zelda was probably safe too.

Midna bounced along the roof ahead of him, and he followed more slowly. The birds seemed to have found other things to do.

"So, you going to go back home?" Midna asked him. "But how are you going to get there? And what will you do when you get there? Don't you have something to look after?"

Link looked at her sidelong.

She spun round, and first Link saw Colin screaming, and then Ilia screaming. Right. He needed to find those two, and Epona, as soon as possible. What should his first priority be? Rescuing them, returning the kingdom to normal, or returning himself to normal?

"Well, I guess I can send you back home to take care of that," Midna said, still in Ilia's guise. Her face looked haughty and clever, not an expression he would find on Ilia's sweet face anytime soon. "Little Midna is happy to help!"

Before he could answer, he felt a tug on his head, and he dissolved into little black squares that rose into the sky…

.

He resolved, back into a wolf, in the Spirit's Spring outside Ordon Village.

"Oh, right," came Midna's voice, he couldn't tell from where, and turned around in a circle. "You're not going to turn into a human anytime soon! Might want to stay away from your friends, or they'll just kill you! And that would be anti-climactic. You didn't think it would be so easy, did you? Well, get your hero stuff and meet me in Faron Woods."

He looked up. The sun had apparently been setting while he was in Hyrule Castle, and now it was late dusk. He needed his sword and shield, did he? He wasn't sure how he was going to get into his house in wolf form. But he would try.

He trotted slowly down the path towards his house.

He almost didn't dodge the sword in time. He sprang backwards, his fur bristling, and growled.

"Stay back, Wolfos!" cried a girl's voice, and he got a faceful of Hylian Shield. He whimpered and ran, dodging sideways out of her way. He needed to get far enough back that he could show her the Triforce on his left paw without her taking his head off… or his tail.

There was a fairy… No, two fairies! Was… that Navi? And… Naeri? So that must be…

"Rana!" he barked, flinging himself backwards.

"Go on! Git!" Rana cried, driving him back towards the forest. He had forgotten how good she was with a sword, and she had obviously been improving. How was she even alive?

He was pinned against a tree, and put forward his left paw, leaning away from her and closing his eyes. She didn't notice and dove in for the kill, until Naeri flew into her head, knocking her back.

"Will you stop and look at this wolf for a minute?" the quiet fairy scolded. "It hasn't attacked you yet, and just look at that!"

"That… is a Triforce," Rana said. Link opened one eye and peered at her. "And that wolf is wearing blue earrings. And it has blue eyes. And it's kind of afraid of me. You know what I think that means?"

"It's Link!" Navi cried happily, fluttering around his head. He couldn't help but grin. In fact, the widest, stupidest grin of his life was spreading across his face.

"It _is_ Link!" Rana answered Navi, and tackled him.

He landed on his back with a grunt, with all hundred and twenty pounds of Hylian girl sprawled across him. "Hiiiiii," she said.

He licked her face. She giggled.

"Good to see you, Link," Naeri said. "We have been wondering where you were."

"I told them about everything up until you vanished yesterday," Navi said gravely. "What happened? I guess you can't tell us yet. But isn't this crazy? Rana's alive!"

"Yeah…" Rana snuggled him closer. "I guess I gave you a bad impression three years ago when we parted. I'm so sorry! I've caused you so much pain for, what, ten years? That's – I'm so sorry!"

He wagged his tail, making her giggle again. She kissed his nose and he blinked at her. She was so cute.

"Perhaps we should move this… to a more defensible place?" Navi suggested, and Rana and Link began to pick themselves up. Rana rested a hand on his back as they moved towards town. "Back towards the edge of town. So, Link, here's what's happened since you were gone. All of the children and Ilia have disappeared. I'm guessing you knew that Ilia disappeared, and Epona, since you were with them… Did you see them where you ended up?" He shook his head. "That's a pity. There were a couple of Bokoblins poking around. Rusl took care of them, but he was injured. He would have been done for if Rana hadn't shown up. She didn't know you lived here, but I saw her and went to talk to her, but she hasn't told the rest of the village yet. We're leaving that decision up to you."

"Thanks," Link said, and it came out as a pleased rumble.

"So, I know you can't tell us what happened, but is there anything that you need?"

Link paused. How to tell them? He moved behind Rana and nosed at the sword on her hip and the shield on her back.

"You… need your sword and shield?" she asked, and he nodded.

"I don't know what good they'll do you in this form, but I'll get them for you," Navi said, fluttering up to his house.

"Navi's been telling me about your adventures!" Rana chirped, plopping herself down on a round of wood near his house. "It sounds super exciting. I haven't done that much since… since Ganondorf. I guess you want to know how I'm alive, huh? Well I guess you left five minutes too soon, because apparently, by the time Zelda came back from seeing you off, the Great Fairies were working on me. And then the Goddesses showed up. It was kind of crazy. They didn't stay for long, just long enough to rebuild… well, the entire country! It was mindblowing, to say the least. And so the entire kingdom had a big party for, like, a month, and then went back to work. The Gorons and Zoras are a lot friendlier and less reclusive than they used to be. It's pretty cool. Oh! And Saria and the Kokiri are doing well. They're still living in the forest, and no one but me and Zelda and the Sages really know that they're there. I'll take you to see them sometime. If you can't get turned back into a human, I bet they'd love to have rides on you!" She giggled, and Link laughed with her, with his eyes.

"Naeri and I travelled around the kingdom for a bit, and it's super gorgeous everywhere, but I spent a lot of time in the castle with Zelda. She wanted me to help her train the guards, but they're… well, normal guards are not Sheikah, so it was difficult for me. Also I can't use a spear. And their shields are cool, but they have little feet on the bottom, and that's kind of silly? Anyway, so I've learned a lot. Reading is kind of tiring, but I did some of that, and learned a lot, and I met a lot of important noble people. Some of them are nice, and some of them are not, and some of them are just weird."

"A couple days ago, she sent me away. She was really worried about something. I think she had another vision. But she wouldn't let me stay! I could have helped her with… whatever's coming up! Or has come up. I don't know. There is that weird barrier across the bridge. I'm not sure when it went up, but it was definitely after I arrived."

"Here's your stuff," Navi said, dumping it on the ground in front of him. "Isn't this exciting? You two can adventure together, just like old times! When we were kids!"

"I thought fairies didn't age," Rana said curiously. "Naeri, do you age?"

"A lady never tells," Naeri said solemnly. "But no, I don't," and her light brightened with a teasing smile.

"Want me to hold on to your gear?" Navi asked, and Link nodded. It vanished, taken away into Navi's hammerspace, and he rose and looked towards the forest.

"We're going into the forest?" Rana asked, and he nodded. "To the Spirit's Spring, maybe?

They set off, and as they passed the Ordon Spring, his attention was distracted by a strange blotch in the sky. He turned towards the Spring.

"Link?" Rana called behind him, and when he growled, she unsheathed her sword.

A strange creature fell from the blotch in the sky, and then two more. They were those tentacle-disk-faced things that had captured him. His growl rose into a bark, and he lunged at them. Rana was close behind him.

The two of them were faster than the strange creatures. He dodged the large claws and sank his teeth into the neck of one of them. It tasted awful, kind of oily, but he grimly clung on to it. He could hear Rana grunting in exertion behind him, and the ring of her sword.

The creature fell limp and he whirled on another one, clawing and biting at it. The third had fallen to a thrust from Rana's sword.

Together, they took down the last one. Link grabbed its arm in his jaws and hung on, growling, and Rana stabbed it. Perhaps it wasn't fair. But that wasn't something they could easily consider.

The monsters exploded into little black particles and faded.

The Spring began to glow with light, and both Link and Rana backed up apprehensively.

The waterfall grew still, and one single droplet fell into the calming water, spreading perfect ripples. From the centre of the ripples a large sphere of light rose, and Link gradually became aware that the sphere rested in between the horns of an ethereal goat.

"Greetings, Hero," said the Spirit. "I am Ordona. I thank you for saving me from those creatures."

"What would have happened?" Navi asked anxiously.

"They would have stolen my light, and then all of Hyrule would have been under Twilight, lost forever to darkness. But now you have saved me, and in doing so begun your journey. And only just in time. The enemy struck swiftly, and much damage has been wrought."

"Hey, give him a break!" Rana said. "He hasn't had an easy time either. I mean, he's a wolf! Can you help him with that?"

"I cannot. My brother Faron can, but Faron Province lies under Twilight. You must save Faron's Light and bring it back to him. Can you do that?"

Link nodded firmly.

"Thank you, Hero. None of your visible companions may go with you into Twilight. They would all become ghosts."

Visible companions? Was Midna still around?

Rana sagged. "Aw. Well, I'll guard this village for you. Can… Should I tell them who you are, Link?"

He shook his head. It would be better for him to do that himself.

"Okay. I'll let you do it when you get back. Though if you're not back soon…"

He grinned at her, a wolfy grin. Of course he would be back soon. He'd tear through all the Twilight in Hyrule to get back to her, now that he knew she was alive. Now the nightmares would finally stop.

"Hero," the gentle voice of the Spirit brought his attention back. "Go carefully. The enemy is powerful, and no one yet knows just what they can do. I can now protect Ordon Province from the Twilight, but Zant still teeters on the edge of complete victory. Go now, and save my brother."

He nodded again, and the Spirit burst into white light.

Rana turned to him. "I guess you're setting out right away? Even though it's nighttime?"

He nodded. The sooner, the better. And the things the Spirit had said made it sound like he was behind on something. Well, he couldn't rescue Hyrule in a day. But everything began somewhere.

"All right. I'll stay by your house and guard the village." She hugged him, and he licked her ear. She giggled at that, and let him go. Navi handed her the sword and shield, and she buckled them on him awkwardly. They certainly didn't fit properly; his chest was a lot deeper than it was when he was in a human form.

He trotted down to the wall of Twilight that still barred him from the bridge into Faron Woods. Midna popped out of the ground beneath him, startling him. She looked different in this non-Twilight state of the world, all transparent. "You want to go into the Twilight?"

He knew she had been with him all along. He just knew it. He nodded and she floated back through the wall, making ripples in it.

A massive orange hand ripped through the wall, seized him, and dragged him through before he could so much as bark in surprise.

The other side of the wall was much the way he remembered it. The Twilight was certainly a strange place.

"Oh, how lovely it is to be back!" Midna chirped, landing on his back again. "The warm enveloping darkness of the Twilight is so beautiful. Don't you think? I guess not. What are these things, anyway?" She picked up his sword and shield off his back. The shield went over her face, and she swung the sword wildly. Link ducked. "I know you crazy people use these tools to fight with, but… why? They're so awkward!" She flung them down onto the ground and went back to lounging. "I guess I can hold on to them for you until you need them." She snapped her fingers and they disappeared with a poof. "Do you hear that?"

Link had heard that, a high-pitched heart-breaking keening sound coming from the Faron Spirit's Spring ahead. He approached it.

There was a faint shimmer in the pool as he approached. "Hero… please… find my Light… find the tears of Light…" He nodded and ran off into the forest, although he really didn't know what he was looking for.

But he could smell it. The Twilight land smelled funny, but there was something about the tears of Light that he could sense with his animal senses. He doubted he could sense them in human form. But small, glittering purple insects had eaten them, and he had to destroy them first. It took him hours, running all over the forest, nearly as far as the Lost Woods, before he was able to find all the scattered bits of Light.

Hours later, when it was almost dawn, he returned to the Spirit's Spring, and dropped the Light in. "I guess that's it for the Twilight in this area," Midna said. She sounded disappointed. "Well, I'll see you around, okay? I still need your services." She vanished into the ground.

Another sphere of Light rose from the pool, and the spirit Faron, in the form of a monkey with a long feathery tail, curled around it.

"Thank you, Hero. You have lifted the curse of Twilight from this Province of Hyrule. Monsters yet remain, but the people who live here are no longer ghosts. And you yourself have been healed."

Link started. He hadn't realized he was standing on two legs again. And Faron had apparently seen fit to outfit him in his green tunic and chainmail, along with the rest of his adventuring clothes and his sword and shield. He pulled his shoulders back proudly. He was young and strong. He was ready to go.

"Your task is only just begun, I fear. Speak to the Sage of Forest, and she will direct you to the source of the monsters. I wish you good fortune, Hero. Farewell."


	3. Chapter 3: Martyr Complex

Chapter 3: Martyr Complex

.

Dawn was breaking as Link checked his gear. His sword and shield were firmly belted to his back, the Ocarina and his wallet were mysteriously in a pouch at his waist, his lantern was hooked beside that, his boots were securely strapped around his legs, his chainmail wasn't going to chafe, and his hat was on his head.

Then he saw a pair of lights bobbing through the forest, and a fast-moving shadow, and he braced himself for impact.

He wasn't disappointed. Rana flung herself at him, laughing, and he staggered back a pace before he held her steady. "You're back!"

"I am!" he said, matching her infectious grin. "I – you – I still can't believe you're alive."

"You know, neither can I. But if the Goddesses could pull a… what was it Zelda called it? A deus ex machina on all of Hyrule, it's not really a problem to pull it on one or two people. I'm not the only one who lived… You know that House of Skultula? The Goddesses cured them too. And I'm sure there were others. But anyway. Oh my gosh! You're real!" She reached up to touch his face with trembling fingers.

He grinned, pulled her close, and kissed her.

A few minutes later, he reluctantly drew back far enough to see her. "So our first mission is to go see Saria."

"Oh, good! She'll be almost as glad to see you as I am! Navi… told me about why you didn't come back right away, and I understand, kind of. But lots of people in Hyrule missed you. Let me show you the way!"

"Lead on," Link said. "And tell me more about what's been happening since I left! With the whole land changed, I imagine it's affected people we know."

"Well, you know what's funny, is I'm noticing more people now. Before, I only noticed people who were actually in trouble and needed help, or who helped me, or were my age. But now I'm seeing people who are just being people, and you know what? It's really fascinating. Anyway, so who would you like to hear about?"

"Hmm. I heard a rumour Malon was married. Care to elaborate?"

Rana squealed. "Oh my gosh they are so cute together!"

That was all he could get out of her for several minutes, as they passed beneath taller and darker trees, deeper into the Lost Woods. The forest noises seemed spookier than Link remembered, but nothing actively attacked them.

At last, Rana hit upon a small trail. Two minutes later, they emerged into the clearing of the Kokiri village.

One of the Wise Brothers was lounging on the ground outside his house, looking exactly the way Link remembered him. The boy jumped up. "Rana! …Link!?"

"That's me," Link said. "I'm back yet again. How is everyone?"

"Y-you're still alive! Mido told everyone that you died again."

"Nice to be loved," Navi quipped. The Wise Brother blushed.

"N-no, I didn't mean… I guess you want to see Saria, right?"

"If she's around. I want to see all of you. But…" His face changed. There were four children, a young woman, and a horse missing. They could be anywhere. They could be dead. No, they couldn't be dead. Not yet. "I don't have time for catching up right now. There are some people I need to save as quickly as possible. But I promise, as soon as Hyrule is free from evil again, I will spend a lot of time here."

The boy grinned. "That's all right! We're patient. But do come play with us whenever you can. We never really got to meet Navi, you know?"

"I'm flattered," Navi said. "Really. You guys care!"

He blushed. "Well, Saria's at home. Well, actually, she's right there. Good luck with the Hyrule-saving!"

"What's this about freeing Hyrule from evil?" Saria demanded. "Does that have anything to do with the miasma of fear that came over the whole forest the day before the day before yesterday?"

"Yes, yes it does." Link bent down and hugged Saria, picking her off the ground. She squealed.

"Hi, Link! Hi, Navi!"

"Hi, Saria. Hi, Nanci."

"Hiiii!" Rana put in, dancing around them. "We need your help!"

"Well, come inside, and we'll discuss it over breakfast," Saria said.

Link looked surprised, and then down at his stomach, which started to rumble.

Navi began to laugh. "You so forgot about food again!"

"Does he do that often?" Rana demanded.

"Not too often. Only when he's focused on being a hero, you know?"

"Oh, yes, I understand," and all the girls shared significant glances.

"What?" Link was at a loss. "I forget sometimes. It's not important next to Colin's life. Or finding out what happened to Hyrule."

"Yes, yes, we know," Navi said. "Sit down and eat your porridge."

"Yes, mom."

Saria laughed. "Have you grown up at all, Link?"

He glanced at her. "Yes, of course I have. It's Navi who hasn't at all." When she met his dead-pan with one of her own, he broke down and smiled. "Yes, we've seen many things, done many things, endured many things… But…"

"But he's giddy right now because he didn't know Rana was still alive, and he's been operating under the assumption that she would be dead when he got back, for the last ten years," Navi explained.

"I see," Saria said, pouring maple syrup into her porridge. "I'm looking forward to hearing the story. We can go to the Forest Temple sometime, play our Ocarinas, you can both tell me all about your adventures. For now, what was it you require of me?"

"I need to know where the monsters in the forest are coming from. I restored this place to Light from Twilight – the fear – but I was told I need to eradicate the source of the monsters."

"Good call." Saria pushed her plate back and went to the back of her hut, sitting down crossed legged on a small mat. "One moment and I'll tell you."

Rana finished her porridge and snuggled up to Link's side.

Saria opened her eyes again. "To the north, and a bit east, there is a large tree. More than one, perhaps. There is a darkness in its roots. Be careful when you go there. The spiders have been massing in that area, spiders and Deku Babas."

"That is good to know. Thanks so much, Saria. I promise I'll come back as soon as I find my missing friends."

"Yes, do that. I know you would do no less for me." Saria smiled warmly at him. "And if you become too caught up in your adventure to spare time until after it's all over, don't worry about it. Just don't die. You won't let him die, right, Navi?"

"Nope!" Navi said. "That Triforce of his will lead him into the craziest of places, but Rana and I will make sure he's safe all the way through, and Naeri will make sure Rana doesn't get too crazy herself. All in all, I think it's a foolproof plan."

"If you say so," Naeri said calmly. "I think I'll have my hands full."

Rana chuckled and poked her fairy affectionately. "Sorry."

Link rose carefully so as to not hit his head on the ceiling. "North and a bit east, you said?"

"That's it. A great big cluster of very old trees. There might be a bit of a ravine to cross before you get to them, but I think there might be a natural bridge, too. Be safe, all of you!"

They stood before the trees, fairies fluttering over their shoulders.

"Well," Rana said. "Looks normal from here. And also pretty dirty."

"Is that worrying you?" Navi asked. "Have you spent too much time at court?"

"Not me," Rana grinned. "I love playing in the dirt like a kid. But somehow I never manage to carry off the 'mysterious wild person' look when I return to the castle… Someone always grabs me and dumps a bucket of soapy water over my head." Navi laughed. "Shall we?"

"Rana," Link asked as they climbed towards a cluster of roots that stretched across the ravine towards them, "did you just acknowledge that you're no longer a child?"

"I guess I did! Link, I'm twenty, I'm supposed to at least pretend to be a grown-up at least some of the time."

"I guess so."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know yet. I just never thought about it like that. And certainly not in connection to you."

She pried a large wooden slab from the mouth of a tunnel bored into the tree. "I don't get it."

"Neither do I. Let me go first."

She held the door for him and he led with his lantern in his left hand, his shield covering his right side.

The wooden cave they found themselves in was cavernous and dark. The scent of rotting wood and leaves filled their noses, and creaks and groans from the tree made Rana at least look around nervously. She had no lantern; her sword was in her main hand instead. Link wondered if they should trade. Navi and Naeri could help light the place up, if he had to fight. He just hoped he had enough oil to keep the light going when they really needed it.

He listened as best he could, but the only living creatures he heard so far were his and Rana's breathing.

They ventured forward into the darkness. A scuttling noise came from the left. In a smooth motion, Link hooked his lantern to his belt, unsheathed his sword, and moved rapidly towards the noise.

The lantern and fairy light gleamed off large insect eyes. Now that was a big Skultula. It hissed at them, and he slashed at its eyes. It lunged at him, and he backstepped away from the wriggling fangs. Rana bounded past him on his right, where he wouldn't accidentally attack her, and stabbed it in such away that it reared up, exposing its underbelly. He thrust in low and was rewarded by the spider's deathshriek and a dry crackle as it curled up.

There was a squeak, not of a spider, from a tunnel through the wood. Link looked over at Rana, nodded, and went through.

"Wait for me!" she cried, and followed close after him.

The squeak echoed again, pleading and hopeless, and he moved quicker. It wasn't one of the children, that was for sure. He shuddered to think that they might be in this monster fortress.

They emerged into a hollow trunk, open at the top to the sky, and there were monsters of all kinds. Skultulas, Bokoblins, complacent Deku Babas, and some other strange creatures he couldn't identify. And in the middle of all of them was a cage with a small monkey in it, a monkey with a red flower behind her ear.

"Hostage," Navi murmured, and Link nodded.

Rana didn't even hesitate. In a few seconds she had bulled her way to the centre of the room and was beside the monkey, her sword gleaming in the sunlight from above. Link dashed after her, as the entire chamber began to boil with aggressive monster posturing. He cut down a Bokoblin that ran heedlessly in front of him, but there were too many between the two of them.

Rana's sword flashed, and a Deku Baba's head flew through the air. Link jumped on a spider, throwing caution to the wind, and slashed its head off as he struggled towards Rana.

As soon as he reached her, she grinned at him, and took off again, lightly running to the other side of the room. "Come and get me!" she taunted the monsters. Link sighed in worry, but she seemed to have no trouble staying out of their reach. And they were far too distracted to pay attention to the caged monkey, let alone the Hero assaulting their flank. The monkey squeaked, begging to be released.

He chopped apart the cage and let the monkey cling to his back. "Navi, watch my back."

"You got it."

The Bokoblins began to realize that there were two threats in the room, and Link was really the greater one. He was confronted by a bristling wall of bone-tipped spears as Rana was cornered by the spiders.

He studied them for a second, shield up, before reaching out with his sword to batter the spear points away from him with brute force. A couple of the spears snapped under his onslaught, and as they tried to come around him, he spun, taking out half of them and knocking the rest back. He spared an anxious glance for Rana, and found her looking at him in much the same way. _We would have been better off co-ordinating our attacks_ , he thought.

"Watch yourself!" Navi snapped, and he fell flat in time to avoid the monkey on his back getting skewered by a spear. He couldn't roll, but he could kick, and tripped one of the last three Bokoblins. That distracted them long enough for him to jump to his feet again. One of them turned and ran, and Link let it. He could deal with it later.

The other two, deprived of their numeric advantage, weren't much of a threat, and he went after the one that ran. It cowered before him, and he sighed at it before turning away and going to see if he could help Rana.

Rana was nowhere to be seen. At least not at first.

"Hey!" she cried, and he spun around to see the last Bokoblin sneaking up on him with a bone knife, before Rana's sword decapitated it.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"Not a scratch," she grinned. "Thanks for taking half of them."

"Thanks for saving my life."

She shrugged awkwardly. "Well, I only just found you again."

"Rana, what was that stunt at the beginning there? Running out into the middle of everything?" He sat down to catch his breath a little.

She flopped down beside him, blinked at him, and tilted her head. "Well, if we attacked from the doorway, they might have done something to the monkey before we could get in close. And I've done this before, with Zelda. It took a few months to clean out the last monsters in Hyrule after Ganondorf died, so Sheik and Impa and I would go out on missions that we couldn't leave to the soldiers. Just in Hyrule, you understand. Zora's Domain we left to the Zoras, and Death Mountain we left to the Gorons, and the Desert we left to Nabooru and her people. But, like, Saria let us into the Forest to help clean out the forest."

"I… see. You trained with Sheik while I was gone, didn't you? During the seven years?"

"Yeah. Did I tell you that?"

"I don't remember… Just… be careful, all right? You scared me. And I just want to watch you. Um. Watch out for you."

She smiled. "I understand. Naeri helps me be careful. And you be careful, too. I may be the feint and you the main attack, but that doesn't mean you're not going to get hurt."

"As was nearly proved. I will. Navi helps me too."

"You're welcome," Navi put in.

"So, who is this?" Rana said, turning to the monkey, who had waited patiently for them to stop arguing.

"I'm not sure. I helped her get out of trouble the other day, though. What happened?"

"Got caught by monsters again," the monkey explained. "This tree our home! Taken over by monsters! All brothers and sisters captured. Big leader crazy. Came to find you other day. Little boy chase me. Too frightened to ask."

"Why me?" Link asked, puzzled.

"Big leader tell about you, stories from south."

"The south?"

"You don't mean… Termina?" Navi asked.

"Yes, yes! South land, where green boy save Deku Princess and big leader's friend. You not meet him then. But he see you. He remember. When monsters first come, he say to find you. I fail." She pushed her face into the ground. "Now family all captured. I shamed."

"No, no you're not," Link said. "I'm here now. I promise to free all your family. For now you should go somewhere safe. Like my house in town."

"Is that safe?" Rana asked. "Won't the villagers chase her away again?"

"I didn't have people over very much," Link said. "They won't go in."

"No! Not go. Too far. Besides, must help. This my home. Can guide you!"

Link sighed. "All right. But stay with Rana and don't leave her side." Rana raised an eyebrow questioningly at him, but nodded.

An idea occurred to him. "You haven't seen the boy who chased you, have you? Or any of the other children? Or Ilia?"

"Or Epona?"

"Rana, Epona couldn't get in here."

"No, not see other children. Not see much, though."

Link rose and prepared to continue. "They could be here too. Let's go."

One by one, the two Hylians and the two fairies saved the monkey's eight brothers and sisters, who did help them by building a bridge across a deep pit in one of the trees that the Hylians could not climb across, not even Rana with her acrobatic skills.

Link was deeply conflicted. She could obviously take care of herself. But just having her around was horribly distracting. Not because – or just because – she was an attractive young woman, let alone the attractive young woman that he loved, but also because she was constantly throwing herself into danger and giving him a heart attack. The Triforce of Courage only worked on him for himself. It didn't work on allaying his fears for the people around him.

Though, he feared more for the children and Ilia. What if they, too, were here? They were not used to the forest. Ilia was, a little bit; she was forever trying to escape the village and make friends with the animals. But that was back when the monsters were shy or stupid, not the sort that appeared when trouble assailed the entire kingdom. He wondered what Ilia had done while Ganondorf reigned. Either way, if they were here, they were in worse trouble than the monkeys they were freeing.

He said nothing, but he caught Rana looking at him a lot, and knew she knew what he was thinking.

They were trapped in a room with a baboon, a cunning creature who was throwing things at them from high perches. Link guessed that this was the big leader that the monkeys talked of.

He ducked, and narrowly avoided a boomerang. A what!?

"Hey!" Rana said. "I was wondering where that went!"

"You know it?"

"It's your boomerang, remember, from when you were a kid. It's been through some adventures. Saria was holding on to it, but it disappeared recently."

The boomerang went by his head again, and stole his hat. "Hey!" That did it. "Okay, girls, here's what we'll do."

Navi and Naeri went to flutter around the baboon's head. Rana finished dealing with the last Deku Baba, right under the baboon's nose, deliberately not paying him any attention. The baboon drew back to throw the boomerang at her…

And Link charged into the baboon's perch, knocking him down. Picking himself up, the Hylian snatched up the boomerang before the baboon could.

A small insect crawled out from under the dazed baboon. Rana squeaked and cut it in half.

The baboon crawled to a sitting position, and found Link's sword pointed at it. It grunted in fear, blushed, and scrambled up the wall and out through a hole in the tree before he could knock it back down.

Rana was looking at the bug. "What is this thing? It's kind of hideous."

"Mind control," Naeri offered.

"Really?" Navi asked. "That could have grave consequences. We'll have to watch out for people we know acting funny." She shuddered. "I hate parasites!"

"Me too," Rana said, rubbing the back of her neck as if imagining she had one. "Ewww."

There was a squawking noise from the end of the room, and a small creature emerged from cover. Link pointed his sword at it.

"Goodness gracious! Point that dangerous thing somewhere else, boy!"

Slowly, he lowered it to the ground. "Who and what are you?"

The thing ruffled its feathers. It looked like a large Cucco with a disturbingly human face. A smaller face was buzzing around behind it on miniature wings. "You may call me Oocco. This is my son. I'm looking for something, goodness, yes! But it doesn't seem to be here. Don't mind me. I won't get in your way. Thank you for taking out that crazy ape; it's cleared my way forward."

"Have you seen any children? Small children, between the ages of three and ten, and a young woman."

"You're the first humans I've seen in a while. Gracious, yes! But I couldn't tell how old you were. Smaller than you? I will keep an eye out for small humans in trouble. Yes, yes! Now, Oocco must go. Ta!" The creature trotted to the other end of the room, surprisingly quickly, and turned a corner, out of sight.

Rana looked perplexed. "I've been around Hyrule a few times, but I've never seen something like that. I wonder what that was all about."

"I'm starting to get seriously worried. Either the children aren't here, or they're already dead."

Rana shrieked. "They're not already dead! What would the monsters kidnap them for?"

"I'd have to agree with Rana," Navi said. "Stop being morbid!"

"We have to move faster," Link said, ignoring both of them. "Every second we're not moving forward is another second they could be lost in." He ran to the exit of the room, Rana trotting behind him.

"And every second that you spend worried like that is another second you could get hurt in, and then what good are you to anyone?" Rana demanded.

"I'll be fine. It's you I'm worried about!"

"I'm fine. Link…"

"You're reckless, Rana! You're always running out ahead."

"That's how I fight! It works! Just trust me."

"Then trust me to take care of myself, too."

"But you're not focused. You've got this… weird guilt complex thing going on, and it's not helping anyone. Link, I don't want kids to get hurt. But I don't want you to get hurt either, and you're trying to do everything yourself. Please just take a minute to relax and collect yourself. You're scaring me."

"I knew you knew about that…" Link muttered.

"Huh?"

"You were watching me earlier."

"Well…" Rana blushed. "That was more because you're so good at fighting. It's kind of… sexy. Also, you were kind of watching me, too. Was that because you were worried about me?"

"You… think my fighting is… sexy?"

"Uh-huh!" her head bobbed up and down enthusiastically. "Super-sexy! You're so good!"

He blushed a little. "I never thought about it like that."

"Oh, come on," Navi said. "I could have told you that. But I thought you'd think it weird, so I didn't."

"I must concur," Naeri said. "Any straight female of any species would admire your fighting, Link."

"Huh." He wasn't sure how to respond to that.

"Anyway, so just relax, okay?"

His face hardened. "I can't do that."

She rolled her eyes and sighed in exasperation. "What am I going to do with you?"

"Come on, we're wasting time."

"You know, there's really nothing we can do," Navi said, followed by a low murmur only to Rana that he could not hear. But Rana nodded understandingly, if unhappily, and followed him jogging through the dark tree.

The cluster of trees became increasingly damp as they fought their way through to the other side. Link still couldn't stop his urge to rush to the rescue whenever Rana jumped out in front of him. He almost suggested that they split up, but refrained. It was safer that they stay together, in spite of the fact that her presence might make him make a mistake.

It was nice to have his boomerang back, though. He hadn't used it in a while. It had changed – he supposed that was what Rana had meant by 'adventures' – but it was better than before.

He ran – he was always running, now – through another soggy tunnel between trees, and found himself in a half-flooded chamber with a pair of absolutely giant Deku Babas watching him. The room stank. The water looked more than dirty; it looked poisonous.

The Deku Baba on the left lunged at him, and he backflipped to get away from it. It was very big and very fast. This would be a problem.

"Rana! Can you chop it off while it's chasing me?"

"I – nope! The other one's chasing me!"

Link gritted his teeth. The Baba's mouth was large enough to swallow Rana without leaving a trace. And that went double for any of the children.

The water boiled, and a plant emerged from it. It looked like the kind of carnivorous flowers he'd only encountered in more tropical areas, but a hundred times larger, and capable of roaring at him. It opened its petals and a stream of poisonous water shot out at him. He blocked it with his shield, grunting at the force of the water.

"Link! Look!" The baboon had appeared on one side of the room, waving something that glowed. "I think those are bombs!"

"We can work with that," Link mumbled. He raised a hand to the baboon. "Pass!"

He caught the bomb and flung both it and the boomerang towards the closest Baba head. The wind from the boomerang carried the bomb and flung it towards the Baba's open mouth. The plant bit down, chewed, and exploded.

"Yessss," cheered Rana. "Try it on the main part of the monster!"

The main monster head flung the next bomb back at him, and he rolled out of the way. Rana picked it up with her bare hands and lobbed it back. It fell short, creating a geyser that splashed up in front of the monster. The surviving Deku Baba lunged at her, and Link, close by, snapped its stalk with a sharp blow of his sword.

"Good job!" Navi cried. "Only the last part left."

The flower spit water at them again.

"It's not coming down here," Naeri observed.

"Tough luck for it!" Rana said. "I wonder if I…"

"No," Link said right away. "You fall in that water and it will kill you."

"But I've always wanted to try to wrangle a giant plant monster!"

"Get back here, young lady!"

He flung another bomb at the monster and it flicked it back at him. He threw it back with the boomerang again. This time, it knocked the boomerang away, against the side of the tree.

But the boomerang seemed to have a mind of its own, and returned faithfully to his hand anyway.

And the bomb went off.

The giant plant flinched and bowed towards him, closer and closer… He slashed at it violently with his sword, again and again, until the flower lay in pieces around him. There seemed to be a sphere-shaped core, there…

He burst it with a thrust of his sword, and the plant collapsed, spraying dirty water everywhere. Then it reared back, though he was pretty sure he had killed its 'brain' with that last stroke, and began to shrivel. It ceased moving at the top of its arch, a dry, withered branch, and burst into black particles. Link ducked.

The particles were sucked together into a small object that fell towards the water. Before it could touch the water, a large orange hand reached out of the ground and seized it.

Rana dropped down beside Link as Midna appeared out of the ground in her translucent state.

"I'll just be taking this!" Midna said smugly. "Thanks for your help. I'm collecting things like this, so keep an eye out for more, all right?" Link noticed that the orange 'hand' was actually her hair. He supposed she manipulated it with magic.

"Who on earth are you?" Navi demanded, and from the way Rana leaned casually on his shoulder, she was making a similar face at the imp girl.

"Ah… this is Midna. She helped me escape from Hyrule Castle, and she seems to know Zelda."

"I'll leave it at that for now," Midna said. "In thanks for getting me this little thing, shall I give you a quick way out of this place?" She opened a portal on the ground. "It leads directly outside, no tricks, nothing."

"What is that, anyway?" Rana said. "It looks like the stone thing you're wearing."

Midna's face closed off. "It's nothing you need to know about, besides the fact that it's very dangerous and corrupts those not strong enough to wield it. Why do you think that monster was so big, and that water so polluted? Look at it now!"

The poisonous pool had become clear, and water lilies already bloomed in it.

"All the more reason we should know," Link said. "What am I fighting?"

"Old magic," Midna answered. "More than that, I'm not saying. Ask your precious Light Spirits. Are you coming, or what?" She beckoned with her hair hand.

"All right." Link stepped towards her, into the portal. Even if she was arrogant, she wasn't deceitful. Keeping secrets wasn't being deceitful. Rana followed, more slowly.

They appeared outside the cluster of trees, where they had entered, as Midna promised. There were all the monkeys, lined up in a row.

"We just wanted to say thank you for your help," the baboon said. "I remember you from Termina. These kids don't. Too young. I am ashamed of attacking you, even if it was under the influence of that parasite."

"Why did you come to Hyrule?" Navi asked curiously.

"Because of you, Mr. Hero. I wanted to go to a place where my friends and family would be so well respected by the humans."

Link shook his head. "I'm sorry about the Ordon villagers. I'll try to make it clear that you're friendly."

"Thank you, Mr. Hero."

Rana hugged the monkey with the flower. "Take care, okay? I guess I'll see you around!"

Link looked at the sky. "Well, the sun is going down. I don't think we'll find the kids today. If they're even still alive."

"Stop saying that, or you'll make me cry," Rana interrupted him, glaring.

"Stop ignoring the possibility!"

"Stop fighting," Navi said, interposing herself. "Rana, don't cry, he's just tired. Link, let up on the pessimism. It's not helping. Go home and get some sleep."

"The Kokiri Village is closer," Rana said. "You can stay there, if you like."

"That sounds like a good plan. Although we'll have to travel further tomorrow…"

"You're almost dead on your feet," Navi said. "Go to the Kokiri Village. It'll be fine."

He really was too tired to argue. He hadn't fought like that in months.

They were halfway to the village when Rana stopped. "What's that?"

Link barely had time to look up before a golden wolf pounced on him. Rana screamed, her sword leaping out of its sheath, but Link didn't feel an impact, only a lightness, and the world faded around him.


	4. Chapter 4: Faith

Chapter 4: Faith

.

Link scrambled to his feet, shaking his head to clear it. His sword was already in his hand, although he didn't remember drawing it.

Before him stood a mighty Stalfos, with eyes glowing blue, and ancient, weathered armour hanging off its bones. The plates of the armour were covered in intricate designs, including the Triforce. Link guessed this must have been a great Knight of Hyrule. It was too bad it was dead and evil, now.

Navi, Rana, and Naeri were nowhere in sight. In fact, the two of them stood in a vast foggy plain, with rocky scrub beneath their feet.

"Link," said a voice, and the jaws of the Stalfos moved. The voice was hardly deeper than his own, not what he expected from the tall warrior spirit that stood before him.

"Huh?" Link said stupidly.

"You are late," the Stalfos said. "And your swordwork is shoddy."

"Well…"

"Don't interrupt me! When I was your age, the kingdom was in danger, but at least I didn't leave it until the last possible second to begin saving it…" The skeleton trailed off, and shook its head ponderously. "Oh my gosh, I've turned into my uncle." The voice was momentarily young, a boy's treble, and Link blinked at the strange change.

Link tilted his head to the side. "Who _are_ you?" Perhaps it wasn't evil after all.

"That is not important. I am here to test you, to train you. You will need all the help you can get on this journey."

"How come you didn't show up the last time Ganondorf was taking everything over?"

"I was not yet… aware of the danger. I have been waiting for you to return."

"So… it's connected to the Goddesses' appearance?"

The Stalfos ignored that and drew a bright slim sword, looking far too delicate next to the calibre of his pauldrons. He was also left-handed. "Fight me, Link. Prove that you are a Hero."

Link dropped into a fighting crouch, moving around to the left. The Stalfos stood quietly a moment while Link closed with him, jabbing at the skeleton's arm, trying to get around his guard.

The sword came up, effortlessly knocking his blow away. The skeleton brought up a shield with his right arm and bulled Link backwards, almost knocking him over.

Link blocked attacks as swift and fierce as anything he had ever encountered, and barely managed to get a few attacks in back, all blocked by the phenomenal warrior he was facing.

Sooner than he would have liked, he was flung on his back. The next thing he saw was the skeleton hurtling at him through the air; Link brought up his shield but the sword thudded into the misty white ground next to his ear.

"You are not a true hero yet. You are indeed strong and pure of heart, though you are troubled still, but you are not yet fit to bear the Triforce upon your hand."

Link looked down, stung, and saw the golden triangle on his left hand.

"Perhaps I am not being entirely fair. You are self-taught, and what skills you possess have kept you alive so far, while I was trained by Knights to hold a sword since I could walk. But what does fairness matter when Hyrule is at stake?"

"Yes… I understand. Please teach me."

"Then follow my lead…"

Link couldn't measure the time he spent in that dream world with the Hero from the past. He was started on the basics, which would have been embarrassing except that he had never experienced them like this.

"I will teach you all I can of swordwork," the ghost informed him when they were winding down. "You must look to your living friends to solve the problems in your spirit."

"My spirit? What's wrong with it?"

"Do not ask me. Practice your swordwork daily. Focus on your footwork. Your strength is good. Your agility and speed is good. But it does not fully make up for not being correctly grounded and balanced. Work on these things, and you should find yourself gaining an advantage in your battles. When you have mastered these things, I shall teach you more, tricks and moves that will surprise all but the canniest of enemies."

"Thanks." Link bent over, panting, and when he looked up again, he was in the forest again, with Rana looking into his eyes with concern.

"Link? What happened? What's wrong?"

"Huh?" Link said again. "Where did… where did he go?"

"The golden wolf? I have no idea. It just disappeared, and you went into this sort of trance," Navi said. "We were really worried. You came out of it just a second ago. What happened?"

"I just had a major workout with an amazing swordsman, a Hero from the past. He told me my swordwork isn't good enough to be a true Hero yet."

"Aww," Rana said, but Link stopped her with a hand.

"It's true. You should have seen him. He's the best swordsman I've ever met. It seems the Goddesses specifically called him from… from being dead, just to train me. I'll show you what I learned… tomorrow." Link hung his head. "I am so tired right now I could fall asleep on my feet right here. And probably get jumped by a bunch of Keese or something."

"Yeah. Come on." Rana reached for his arm. "I'll get you to a bed."

.

He woke up screaming again. Rana was dead, killed by an arrow, by fire, by Ganon's strength.

Feet slapped on the floor, and someone tackled him. He gasped and flung her off, before realizing it was Rana. She cried out as she hit the floor. The fairies bobbed anxiously overhead.

Link sat pressed against the wall, breathing heavily. "Sorry! Sorry! I-"

She got up, slowly, and sat beside him, wrapping her arms around him. "It's all right. You were having a nightmare?"

He passed a hand over his face, smearing the sweat from it. "Yeah. You were dead." He drew a long, shuddering breath, and put his arms around her.

"I'm here. He can't take me away again."

"I'd like to see him try that again." His arms tightened around her. "If he comes back, I'll…"

"It's all right. Relax. It's not even dawn yet. You need to sleep more."

"No, not with these nightmares."

"I'm here. You won't have any more. I think."

Saria's distinctive hair appeared in the door, her fairy lighting up her face. "Are you okay? I felt something was… wrong."

"Nightmares," Navi said. "He's had them for several years, but he hasn't screamed from them in a while. I thought they were going away, or at least diminishing in intensity."

"It's been a long day," Saria said. "And from what you told me, he was up all night last night, too. Link, you need more sleep."

He sagged, and muttered. "I'm almost afraid to sleep now. I thought they would go away since I knew you were back."

"I don't think a mental problem like that is just going to disappear." Rana squeezed him. "I would know. Although I had a different mental problem. Not that I'm an expert on psychology."

"Come on," Saria said. "I'll get you some tea, and then you can sleep in."

"Can't," Link muttered, but he was losing the battle. Saria left for a few minutes, and returned with a steaming mug of tea. Link freed one hand and sipped it, and she smiled and left again.

"Girls, I can't sleep in tomorrow. I'll try and sleep again, but I need to practice with my sword and then we need to go… well, to the next place that's still covered in Twilight, I guess."

"I'll wake you up at a good time," Navi promised. "Rana, do you think it would be a good idea to stay with Link?"

"Yeah, that sounds good," Rana said. "You've really had nightmares every night for the last three years? How are you still alive?"

"Yes, I… well, last time I slept, I didn't, but that could be because I was knocked out by the shadow creatures that pulled me into the Twilight."

"Right. Well," Rana pulled him down and snuggled into him. "You should try and sleep. Just hold on to me."

He finished the tea without spilling it and put the empty mug on the windowsill next to him. Wrapping his free arm back around Rana, he tucked her head under his chin. "Good night, butterfly."

.

All came to pass as Navi said. She woke them up, though Rana stretched and yawned and complained that it was too early, and tried to hold him down. Link pulled free of her, pulled his chainmail and tunic and belts and boots on, and ran out the door, evading her ineffectual grabs at him, laughing and pulling on his gauntlets.

When she finally came out, with her own gauntlets and belt and vaguely Roman-style sandals, he was already shuffling around, looking at his feet, trying to remember exactly what the Hero had showed him. He greeted her cheerfully and demonstrated what he had learned.

She looked at his animated face, and laughed. "You really like swords."

"I really like the chance that I'm getting to learn how to be an expert at the one thing I'm really good at."

"Fair enough. What was that last bit again?"

Saria fed them again, and sent them off, saying "If you see any of the other Sages, especially old Darunia, tell them I said hi!"

Link waved and walked into the forest.

Rana trotted beside him, swinging off trees and humming. "We should go visit Malon! Maybe she's seen Epona. And even if not, you can still meet Alan! He's really nice. And Talon and Ingo are actually getting along pretty well, would you believe it?"

"Huh," Link answered. "Not really. But you're right."

"Also she makes mean scones, and we should get there by lunchtime."

Navi laughed. "Well that sounds like reason enough to visit. Link sometimes forgets to eat when he's on a quest."

"I do not…"

"Yes, you do!"

So Rana brought them to Lon Lon Ranch, which was decidedly not where Link remembered it, but right on the edge of the forest, facing outwards. Before he went through the gates, he turned and looked across Hyrule Field. There was the castle in the distance, and there was Death Mountain on the horizon, both beneath the blackness of Twilight. The expanse of grass, trees, hills, streams, it was all so beautiful, especially the part just in front of him, with the sun shining so brightly on it, lighting up all the colours, green, yellow, silver. It gleamed like jewels against the backdrop of Twilight, which rose like a violet-black wall into the sky. He felt his heart tighten. He was never leaving this land again. The Hero was right. He wasn't ready to be a true Hero. He barely knew this land that he loved.

"Link?" Navi called.

He turned, jerked a thumb back at the view. "Isn't it beautiful?"

"It is," she said, in a voice that told him she knew exactly what he meant. "But Malon's already getting the scones out."

He laughed and followed her.

He had barely walked through the door when Malon threw herself at him. "Link! It really is you!"

"Hi, Malon."

"And this is my handsome brave husband, Alan, late of Kakariko."

"Pleased to meet you, sir!" Alan said, offering his hand for a handshake. Link took it. His grasp was firm, and his eyes were shining like stars at getting to meet The Hero of Time.

"Pleased to meet you as well. I've heard good things of you."

"I'm going to go get Daddy and Ingo. I'll be right back."

"You haven't seen Epona recently, have you?" Link asked.

Malon frowned, troubled. "No, not since you left Hyrule. I thought you took her with her, but Rana said you'd gone back in time. So I wasn't sure where she went."

"She did come to find me once I was in this time again, but she disappeared three days ago along with some friends of mine, mostly children. I thought she might have come here. I wouldn't think that Moblins would be able to hold her."

"That's true. I don't know." She glanced over at Rana. "Falone's still here, if you'd like to take her."

"Probably not now," Rana said. "But that's good to know." She glanced at Link. "Unless you have a particularly pressing need for horse-speed, and a wish to ditch me…"

Malon laughed. "I'd lend you another horse, Rana, you know that. Now, sit tight. Daddy will want to say hi."

Alan was shy at first, but Rana's breeziness helped put him at ease, and Link's new-fired interest in martial arts gave them something to talk about. Talon was just as round as ever, and smelled even more like chickens. Ingo seemed to have mellowed considerably. It was obvious that Malon kept them all firmly in line, and they liked that.

But Link was withdrawn. He hadn't found any of the missing people yet, and three days was a long time for any of them to be on their own. Unless they had already been rescued, hope for them was dwindling.

Rana noticed before the others did, and began wrapping up the visit. "Well, we still have a kingdom to save, so we'd better get going. Perhaps we can get to the castle or Kakariko before dark, depending on where we go."

"And these scones really are amazing," Link said, dragging himself back into the present. "Rana mentioned them as we were coming, but I had no idea."

Malon grinned. "Take some with you! I can bake more. Go on!"

Rana giggled. "Thanks!"

As they set out, they first set off in the direction of the castle. But before they had travelled an hour, they saw that the road was blocked by boulders.

Link grimaced, but Rana shrugged and pointed towards Kakariko.

"But the Princess," Link said. "If we could free her before Zant makes his next move…"

"We can free Kakariko and move on north from there. There's a way around this set of highlands. Stop fussing."

"We don't have time…"

"You don't know that."

In the end Rana won out, and they marched for Kakariko. When they drew close to the wall, Midna popped out from under him. "Hello, again!"

"Do you follow me directly, or are you just around conveniently when you want to be?" Link asked.

Midna examined her tiny fingers. "I choose not to answer that question. Would you like to go in? This sun is scalding."

"I think she's living in your shadow," Navi said. "That's where she's come from both times, anyway."

Midna glared at the fairy. "Well, who asked you?"

"I'd like to go into the Twilight," Link said. "I guess the others can't come with me?"

"Not unless they also turn into wolves or something."

"I'm given to understand that that is my Triforce speaking, so I don't think so." He turned to Rana. "Sorry. You came all this way, and now you can't come with me."

"Yeah, Ordona said we'd turn into ghosts, didn't she? I'll, uh, check the area for Moblins. Does that sound good?"

"Yes. Thanks, Rana." He put his hands on her shoulders and kissed her forehead. "Be safe. I'll be thinking of you."

"See you later!" he could sense some kind of disappointment from her, but he guessed it was from not being able to come with him.

He turned towards the wall as Midna floated through it. A moment later, her orange hand burst through it and snatched him through it.

He fell to all fours on the other side, coughing from the force of his landing, and hissed in pain as he transformed into a wolf. Midna landed on his back, and he barked in surprise.

"All right, keep it down! I haven't been here yet, so I don't know what kind of monsters are waiting for us. Anyway, it's so nice to be back here under these skies… I really don't know why your kind like the searing light so much."

Link sighed. He wasn't that much of a talker, but not being able to communicate verbally at all was somewhat annoying.

He took off running quietly into the darkness.

There were monsters manning a small blockade on the road between him and Kakariko. Their appearance suggested that they had once been Bokoblins, but now they had become Twilight monsters. His teeth and claws tore them apart mercilessly. He did get hit by an arrow in the tail, and thanked the Triforce that he was not a true Wolfos, or that would have been far more debilitating than it was. Midna helped him pull the arrow out, and then he licked it until it stopped bleeding so much.

Kakariko stood just ahead, though the sign at the gate was looking more weather-beaten than ever. In fact, the whole town was looking a bit unkempt, and the vegetation was a lot drier than he remembered it. Was the town experiencing a drought, or had the Goddesses moved the place higher up the mountain?

Midna was mostly silent, only offering up the occasional direction when she saw a drop of Light, or yawning in impatience when she thought he was sitting around too much looking at the scenery.

He caught sight of a slightly opened window on the mayor's house, and a strange masked face peering out of it. Without thinking twice, he bounded forward and leaped through the window, pushing it further open, and clearing the man squatting inside.

The man squawked and grabbed for the window. "Dang wind… going to give us all away!"

Link halted, mouth hanging open, for there were the four children, all huddled around a big man and a young girl, both with dark hair.

Talo shivered. "Did those creatures go away?"

The man closed the window carefully, scowling. The strange mask, Link saw, was only a welding mask. "Couldn't see any for sure, but you know what that means! They're just hiding, waiting for their chance. If we take one step out that door, we're done for."

Beth sniffled, and a large round tear rolled down her face. Colin patted her on the shoulder, and the large man put a comforting arm around her. "Don't worry. Green will come and save us, you'll see."

"You keep saying that, boy, but he hasn't come yet!" the frightened man said. "And you remember what happened to that woman from the general store? What's her name… Lauri?" Link froze. "A whole gang from town went to save her, and by the time they got there, there were _three_ of those things! No one came back alive!" Link lowered his head. Were all of his friends from Kakariko dead? He had failed them.

Beth began to wail, and the dark-haired man turned on the frightened man. "Barnes!" he growled, and both Barnes and Link jumped. Barnes took in the damage his words had done, and looked away, harrumphing.

No one said anything for a long time. Midna rubbed between Link's shoulderblades. "Aww, what a touching reunion. They don't even know you're here! How awful it must feel for you." Her voice was not sympathetic at all and on the verge of mocking. "Not even to be recognized by the ones you trusted most…" Suddenly her voice broke, and she stopped talking.

Talo stirred. "Mr. Renado, are you sure there isn't anywhere else to hide? Eventually they'll start checking the houses, won't they?"

"There is a basement," the big man, Renado, said. Barnes perked up.

"But I can't recommend going down there," the girl beside him continued. "When I went to see if we could go down there, I saw some nasty little bugs. They looked pretty dangerous."

Talo sagged. "Oh, okay. That's all right, then."

"I just wish those black things would go away," Malo muttered.

"I know Green's coming to save us," Colin said again. By now Link was pacing around him, tail wagging, trying to tell him that he was there.

"Colin," Link called, and it came out as an unhappy puppy whine.

Colin's ears twitched. "I'm even getting the feeling that he's not far away. Just have faith in him. Come on, guys."

Link's tail wagged. He'd save them all. He couldn't save Lauri, or the windmill man, or the carpenters, if they even still lived in Kakariko, but he could save the children, and this Renado man, and his daughter, and Barnes. He dove into the basement to look for the spooky insects.


	5. Chapter 5: Epona's Return

Chapter 5: Epona's Return

.

There was an air vent out of the basement, and he used it to struggle out into the open.

He emerged behind the chicken coop and sniffed experimentally. He couldn't sense any other pieces of Light in the area, and hoped he was done with collecting it.

He was on his way to the Spirit's Pool, which was tucked away into a corner of the canyon – if it had been there when he'd visited Kakariko before, he could understand why he missed it. Goddesses, the last time he'd visited the place felt like it was in a past life.

A scrabble of pebbles was his only warning, and he flattened himself to the ground as a large black tentacle creature pounced at him. It missed, but Midna's hair whipped up, wrapped itself around the thing's neck, and slammed it into the dirt. Link hurled himself onto the monster and tore its throat out.

There were two more, swiping at him with their claws. He backed away, snarling and showing his sharp teeth, dripping with black blood, and he felt Midna tense for action on his back.

"Right. When I say go, I'll immobilize one, and then you can duck behind the other one and destroy it. Got it?" He nodded once, sharply. "Go!"

One monster flailed, Midna's hair holding it by its tentacled fringe. He darted at the other, dodging the slashing claws, and leaped clean over one arm. He twirled before it could turn, and sank his teeth into its upper shoulder – he missed. It flexed, trying to through him off, and he scrabbled against the ground and against its back, trying to find enough purchase to adjust his grip to something more lethal without exposing himself to attack.

"Better hurry up!" Midna squeaked. "I can't hold it forev-"

She grunted, and Link was sent flying several feet. He landed on his side, Midna miraculously staying on, and scrambled up. The creatures turned to face them again.

Link growled, and before Midna could react, he was racing towards the monsters. He ducked a meaty blow from one of them and ducked between the legs of the other. He flipped in mid air and this time grabbed it by the back of the neck. Midna's hair flew over his head and grabbed the other monster by the face.

The monster he was holding shrieked in pain and tried to pull him, off, but he bit down harder and heard something crunch. It collapsed beneath him and he bounced away.

The last monster had a mean look about it. He couldn't tell where its eyes were, or where its mouth was, but he got the feeling anyway.

He growled back and took off for it, feinting right and going left instead. It managed to turn in time to block his attack, and Midna's hair, as well. But her hair tangled around its arm and pushed it back, off balance, and as Link turned to follow it, pulled it forward. Sharp claws came at Link, who jumped back himself, but the creature tripped and fell on its face and he was upon it.

Speed really was one of his greatest assets. And he wondered if Rana were in his place, what creature she would be and how fast she would be. He knew he was not as fast as either Rana or Sheik. But he was faster than a great number of these ponderous monsters. And the past Hero was faster than him. The past Hero would probably find this whole adventure very easy. No wonder he scolded Link so much. His ears went back with embarrassment.

He sat on top of a nearby rock, watching the monster's body explode into black particles, and caught his breath.

Midna rubbed his shoulder like he might rub Epona's shoulder. "Good boy. You make a pretty good sidekick, actually!" He snorted in amusement. "I might tell you what we're looking for, pretty soon, and why I need it. It's a bit of a long story, however, and long stories bore me." She stretched prettily. "Even in the telling. Are you done sitting around? Isn't it time to wipe away this nice Twilight and replace it with that bright Light all you humans are addicted to?"

He patiently got up and went over to the Spirit's Pool. Perhaps the water would heal his wounds.

It did, and the Light dropped in and lit up the entire valley. Dawn was breaking again. He had been up a very long time, exactly twenty-four hours, and he was starting to feel it.

The Spirit who appeared to him was in the shape of a great owl. "Greetings, Hero. I am Eldin. Thank you for restoring me. Now I have more to ask of you."

"Tell me."

"The Gorons are restless. They have shut out the humans. But you must win their trust again, because there is something that no one but you can help them with. You, and the one who travels with you."

"I'll do it. Where is Ilia? And Epona? The children are here, safe, but where are they?"

"Ilia… I do not know. She passed through this land. But I was weak, powerless, and could not see her for long. Your horse…" Eldin hooted softly, and Link could swear it was a gentle laugh. "You will see soon. Do not fear."

"Thanks."

"Rest, Hero."

Rather than argue, Link turned away to go to the mayor's house, and saw the door partly open. Four pairs of wide eyes were peering through it.

"Green!" Talo was the first to yell, flinging the door open wide and running to meet him.

"You came to save us!" Beth cried, second to follow him. Colin had been in front of her, but Talo's wild dash had knocked him down. Malo waddled past him unconcernedly.

"I told you he'd come save us!" Talo was saying, hanging off one arm, as Beth hugged him around the middle, laughing. Even Malo reached out and touched his boot. "The monsters left us to die in the middle of nowhere, but Mr. Renado saved us! And then we waited for you to come get us!"

But Colin…

Colin was still sitting in the doorway, looking at Link with anxious eyes.

What was he thinking? Link gently disengaged from the other children and walked towards Colin. Colin brightened and jumped up, and Link picked him up and swung him around before setting him on his hip like a rather smaller child than he actually was.

Then he had Talo jumping at him, saying "Swing me, swing me!"

So he put Colin back down and hugged all the children at once, grinning. He was covered in small arms and Beth kissed his face.

Link looked up to see Renado watching him with a gentle smile on his stern face, with his daughter and Barnes beside him. "Welcome, Hero. I am Renado, and this is my daughter, Luda. I take it you are the one these children have spoken of." Barnes, angry at not being introduced, and apparently not thinking to introduce himself, stomped away down the street.

"Why are you dressed, you know, like the actual Hero of Time and stuff?" Beth asked.

Link blushed. "Well. Um. I owe you four an apology, because I _am_ the Hero of Time. I had… issues, and chose not to live in Ordon under my own name."

"Awww," Talo whined. "But being the Hero is so cool! Why would you change your name?"

"A man has his reasons," Malo said.

"Well," Link said. "It's a long story. But yes, Mr. Renado, I am the Hero, and I am the one these children were counting on, and I am back to save Hyrule from the Twilight and the monsters." His face fell. "I heard what you said about Lauri and the others earlier tonight. I'm so sorry I wasn't in time to save them. How many are dead?"

"Enough," Renado said gravely. "I can list them later if you truly wish to know. But for now…"

"The monsters are gone," Link said. "I don't think it will be safe for the children to return home to Ordon yet. The roads are still rough and I don't know how many monsters there are on Hyrule Field right now."

"They are safe here, with me. But I am glad to know that the monsters are gone from Kakariko. We guessed it when we saw you standing there so calmly."

"Gree- Link, you have to let my dad know I'm okay," Colin said softly. "He and my mom must be worried sick. Have you seen Ilia?"

"No, no I haven't. She's not here in Eldin Province. Epona might be, though, and once I get her back, I can search for Ilia more quickly. But the Spirit, Eldin, said I need to help the Gorons first."

Renado turned troubled eyes to Death Mountain. "It's true. Something bad must have happened up there. They turned threatening only a week ago, and a few days ago they turned back all travellers in a very hostile fashion. But they will let you up, of course."

"If I can just see Darunia, or get word to him, they'll let me up."

Renado sighed. "That's partly it. Darunia is no longer chieftain of the Gorons. Shortly after Ganondorf's fall, he announced that he was stepping down and left the chieftainship and the guardianship of his son to his cousin, Darbus. Darbus is a lot more aggressive than Darunia."

"And I never met him," Link finished. "Well. I've been awake for a long time, so is it possible for me to have a nap before I head up the mountain?"

Renado smiled. "Certainly. Although the hotel is… awaiting new management, it has plenty of rooms. Come. We will get you settled in."

"Thanks." Link's head was starting to droop. "If you see Rana… you know Rana, right? Tell her where I am. She helps with the nightmares. Don't look so sad, Colin. I'll be up in a few hours, and then you can tell me what happened. I want to hear everything. Maybe…" He yawned. "Maybe it will give us a clue as to where Ilia is."

.

He didn't have any nightmares. Perhaps because it was not nighttime. He woke up a few hours later, just past noon, by the look of it, and wandered outside.

Rana had just arrived, covered in dust and still out of breath, talking to Renado. She squealed when she saw Link, and ran to hug him. "How are you? Still in one piece? Any nightmares?"

"No, not this time. How was your search?"

"Oooh, you know what? There was a bunch of Bokoblins, all wearing the same outfit like a uniform. I think they're organized somehow."

"I see. And did you know Darunia stepped down?"

"Yeah, he's doing some travelling. Not sure why. He said he's on a quest, but he wouldn't give me the details or let me help." She pouted. "Darbus is all right but I really like Darunia better. He's much more level-headed. Hey, did you know the Gorons are all obsessed with sumo wrestling now?"

He blinked. "That was random."

"I know! It's completely random. But… it kind of suits their culture, you know? They're certainly heavy enough for it. Little Link is growing, and he keeps challenging me. So far, I've usually won, but that's not going to last long, that's for sure."

"And they've shut all humans out in the last few days."

"Ooh. That could be a problem. Well, even if Darbus doesn't know you, I know Darbus. I'll introduce you! They have to let you in."

"Let's go right now!" Navi said. "This is so exciting. I want to see how much your namesake has grown."

Link rubbed the last of the sleep out of his eyes, and followed Rana to the base of the Death Mountain trail.

There was a Goron at the top of the first cliff. "Hoi! No humans allowed! Get back down the trail!"

"But it's _me_!" Rana called back. "And the Hero of Time! He's come back!"

The Goron's expression didn't change. "No humans means no humans! Sorry, Miss Rana, but Darbus's word is law!"

Link sighed. "So much for that idea. Think I could run past him?"

"You wouldn't make it to the top of the mountain. You're going to need a better plan than that."

"What about sumo?" Navi perked up from where she lolled on the top of Link's head.

"What? I'm not wrestling with a bunch of Gorons. I'd get flattened."

"No, you wouldn't. You just need a bit more mass. You need your Iron Boots back!"

"Navi…"

"No, no, we can make this work!" Rana said. "I remember who has your Iron Boots. It's a village mayor named Bo. He knew the Gorons in his youth, and I guess Zelda knew him from somewhere? But I don't know where he is, so he could be hard to get to…"

"Rana," Link said. "He's the mayor of Ordon Village."

"Oh well don't I feel like an idiot!" Rana laughed and slapped her forehead. "Well that won't be difficult. We can head back, then. Maybe I can head back and grab them for you?"

"No, I should go. The parents need to know their children are safe, and I need to apologize and explain that my name is actually Link."

"Yeah, that was kind of silly. We'll both go!"

"We won't make it before dark."

"We'll stay at the Ranch. That's where I stayed last night. While you were probably fighting things."

"Yes."

"I knew it! Well, you'll get a good night's sleep tonight. And then you can learn sumo tomorrow. All right?"

"I wish travelling didn't take so long…" Link grumbled.

"Less talk, more walk!" Navi cried, rolling over on his head. He poked her until she fell off, and she began to yell at him, but he just grinned and kept walking like she asked.

Then he heard a wild whinny behind him, and his heart leapt. That was Epona!

She galloped down the main street, bucking crazily. Two Bokoblins flew from her back, slammed into a fence, and slid to the ground, dead. She snorted and reared and kept coming.

"Epona!" Link shouted, but she didn't react. It wasn't because she hadn't heard him; if he could shout through a tropical storm at sea, he could certainly shout through three hundred feet of rocky canyon. He stretched out his arms to force her to stop, but had to dive out of the way when she nearly ran him over.

Rana had scrambled out of the way onto a fence. "Go get her, Link!" she called.

Link had the Ocarina out and was playing Epona's song. It made no difference; she was whinnying too loudly to hear it. So he whistled the song, as loudly as he could. She turned and ran at him again. He dodged, again in the nick of time, and grabbed at her neck.

Of course she tried to buck him off. But he pulled himself up and stroked her mane, murmuring in her ear. "It's all right, Epona, I'm here, I'm back. Calm down, calm down, girl, everything's all right."

Gradually, she pranced to a halt, half reared one more time, and came down solidly on all four hooves, quivering and trembling. He sat up and stroked her neck again. "Good girl, that's all right. No monsters here. Nothing's going to hurt you." He slowly dismounted and moved around to her front, patting her nose.

"Wow," Navi breathed. "She was so spooked! I'm glad she got away from those guys. Where's her saddle?"

"I hadn't saddled her the day everything went crazy," Link said. "I'll have to take her back to Ordon to get it. I'm not hauling it back on my back."

"I could carry it for you," Navi offered.

"True. Well, we'll take her with us to the Ranch, right, Rana?"

"Sounds good," Rana said. "We can go slowly. We have enough daylight for that."

.

They made it to the Ranch, walking, by sundown, where Malon fed them leftovers from supper while Ingo rubbed Epona down and made her comfortable in the stable. Link practiced his form in the dusk, until Rana told him to go to bed. He wasn't yet tired, but he knew he would be if he stayed up again.

Malon had a guest room with two beds in it, and Rana started out in one, but halfway through the night, Link woke, and found her wrapped up in his sheets, next to him. He smiled. Well, he hadn't had any nightmares so far that night.

He felt… called. Like something was calling him.

The fairies were asleep, both of them one dim blob together on the desk below the window. He smiled, and guessed that they had been doing some more serious catching up, probably whispering at decibels audible only to fairies late into the night.

He crawled over Rana, careful not to wake her though she muttered incoherently in her sleep at the disturbance, and stepped carefully onto the wooden floor. He parted the curtains and peeked out the window. The fairies stirred at the motion, but didn't wake. At least, that he knew of.

A golden wolf was watching him from the ground below.

He picked up his sword-belt, his boots, his tunic, and his gauntlets, and tiptoed downstairs, skipping the squeaky stair that was still squeaky even though the Goddesses had relocated the whole place.

He made opened the front door and found himself in a shadowy world.

"Good evening, Link," said the skeletal Hero. "I hope you slept well."

"Better than usual," Link answered. "I've been practising."

"Show me."

.

It felt like hours later when his next session was over. The Hero had been reviewing his sword plant, and critiqued it mercilessly. But now, at least, it was much improved, and he'd hit his target nineteen times out of twenty instead of nine out of ten. He felt good about that. Someday he'd even hit it twenty times out of twenty.

He only had one question before he left. "Is my spirit still troubled?"

"You will know when it is not," the Hero told him, now back in the form of a golden wolf even in the spirit world. "When everything in your life is in place, when you have no doubts about who you are, what you are, what you do, or how you connect to everything around you, then, despite the evil you face, you will be ready." He sighed and looked away. "Of course, if pinch comes to shove, of course you must play your part even if you are not ready. Trust in the Triforce to guide you and have confidence in your abilities and your friends. I learned that much in my own adventures."

"Would you tell me about your adventures?"

The wolf smiled and waved a paw at him. "Shoo. You have too much to think about without adding my long-winded tales to them. Besides, they're in the castle library. Ask your Princess about them."

"But what's your…" Link started. He was standing outside the door of the Ranch's main building, and the wolf was nowhere in sight. "Name," he finished lamely, and went back inside.

Rana was not awake, and neither were the fairies, when he crept back into the room. He laid down his gear by the head of his bed and crawled back in, slightly less carefully this time, and wrapped Rana in his arms. He fell asleep almost instantly.

.

In the morning, they set off again, this time with Link riding Epona – bareback for now, until he could get her gear from his house – and Rana riding her own horse, Falone. Falone was Epona's cousin, but she was lighter in colour, almost yellow instead of Epona's brownish red.

The horses were happy to see each other, and there was a lot of tail-flicking and mane-tossing on the ride to Ordon.

When they arrived, Rana offered to take care of the horses while Link went to speak to Bo.

His quick jog through town attracted as much attention as when he had first arrived. It seemed people remembered the Kokiri Tunic. He knocked on the door to Bo's house and glanced around to see Jaggle, Talo's dad, and Uli, Rusl's wife, doing laundry by the stream, both watching him curiously. He waved awkwardly, and turned back as Bo opened the door.

"Green! My word, lad, what are you wearing? Come in, come in. Good to see you!"

"Well, um," Link began as he entered the house. "I have to apologize to you, and to everyone in Ordon. I've been deceiving you since I got here. I'm Link."

Bo nodded and glanced at Navi, lolling on Link's head again. "I guessed, the other day. But it's all right. You must have your reasons."

"They were pretty silly reasons, in retrospect."

"Hindsight is twenty/twenty. What can I do for you? You surely didn't come back from whatever adventure you're on just to tell me that!"

"Well, the first thing I can tell you is that the four younger children and Epona are safe. Colin, Beth, Malo, and Talo are in Kakariko Village with Renado. I… still haven't found any trace of Ilia." The last words almost stuck in his mouth.

Bo's mouth crinkled up unhappily. "Well, well, I'm sure you're doing your best. I'd like to know she's safe, I would! But I have to think of all those poor kids, not just mine… Well, that is good to know. Rusl's gone off to search as well, and hasn't returned yet… Uli's fretting, and it's not good in her condition!"

"I'll let her know as soon as I go back out. The other thing is… the Gorons are in trouble, but they won't let me in to try to help. Rana told me that Zelda gave you the Iron Boots…"

"You'd like them back, eh? That I can do for you." He gave Link a shrewd glance. "Is Miss Rana at all connected to your temporary name change?"

Link blushed. "Yes."

Bo laughed. "Come in back, lad, and I'll get those boots for you." They rose and went into the back room, where Link was surprised to see a raised wooden platform. "What were you planning to do?"

"Rana tells me the Gorons are crazy about sumo, now," Link said, eyeing the platform. "So she thinks I should beat them at their own game or something. And then Navi decided it was a good idea and said I just need to be heavier." Navi snorted.

There was a knock at the door, and Bo turned to get it. "You don't think it's a good idea?"

Rana jumped through the door. "Hi, Bo! How are you?"

The mayor smiled. "You want your boyfriend to learn sumo?"

"I'm _not_ learning sumo," Link said. "I don't think that's necessary."

"Come on," she wheedled. "It's another fighting style!"

"I already have too many fighting styles."

"Just do it," Navi said unexpectedly from his head. "It can't hurt."

Link sighed. "You're all against me, aren't you?"

Bo rubbed his chin with a hand and pointed at the platform. "Well I've been a sumo enthusiast since before it was a Goron thing. I went up against a few Gorons in my youth! Would have liked to have had boots like these to help me, but I did the best I could. I'm an honorary brother of a couple of them because of those experiences."

Link eventually gave in, and he and Bo stripped down to their trousers. That alone almost made him send Rana and the fairies away, so they wouldn't see him mess up while half-naked. But the face-splitting grin Rana wore made him change his mind. If it made her so happy, why not?

Bo was faster than he looked, and Link was hard-pressed despite his reflexes. He reminded himself that while wearing the Iron Boots he would be even slower. Bo was winning, but Link's eyes were gleaming with the challenge.

"Come on, boy!" Bo said, panting. "When you can beat me, you can beat a Goron!"

As he pushed the older man back across the platform, he heard Rana mumbling incoherent gibberish and spared the time to give her a sceptical glance. Her grin hadn't diminished in any way, and she gave him a thumbs up.

Bo tried to take advantage of his distraction to push back, but Link gritted his teeth and held on. The mayor went tumbling off the edge of the platform, and Link wiped his sweaty hands on his trousers.

Rana clapped, squealing. "Oh my gosh! SHOULDERS!"

He laughed self-consciously. What was she going on about?

Bo picked himself back up. "Good work. Fight with confidence and that'll make up for all the inexperience, hey?"

Link shrugged, still breathing hard. "It sometimes does."

"I don't suppose this is something I could learn, too," Rana mumbled, almost to herself.

Bo looked at her appraisingly. "I don't know, Miss Rana. You'd get thrown around like a leaf, even with Iron Boots."

"And apparently you'd have to take your shirt off," Link pointed out, going to collect his own.

She looked at him and turned bright red.

"Yeah." He pulled on his white-ish undershirt – he was going to have to wash it pretty soon.

He turned around in time to see her yank her blue tunic off over her head, and stumbled backwards. There she stood, in her shorts and chest bindings, still blushing furiously, but with a challenge in her eyes.

He froze and blushed darker than her. There was a long awkward silence.

"Well, just in case you thought that was getting in my way," she said at last, and Naeri bonked her in the head for her unintentional double-entendre.

"Ah… I didn't…" Link stammered, and Bo chuckled.

"I'll just let you two sort things out, all right?"

The silence stretched on and on, while the two Hylians stared at each other in various states of undress.

Suddenly Rana stirred and began pulling her tunic back on. "I'm sorry! I just… Gah."

"Um." Link really still didn't know what to say. "It's… all right… I guess…?"

She fled the room, not even looking at him.

"Good job," Navi said to him.

"Well what do I say? I… Nothing ever prepared me for that situation!"

"And come on, it's not like you haven't seen girls showing that much skin before."

"No, but it's Rana, not some random Gerudo pirate." He sighed. "And now everything's going to be weird."

Navi snorted. "You sound like when you were fifteen. Grow up."

"Navi, I don't think you understand the bizarreness of this situation."

"Maybe not, but I wasn't the one teasing her. You don't think she's going to let a dare go unmet?"

He thought back to when they were kids, although Navi hadn't known her then, and smiled. "I guess not. She was always like that. I just didn't expect it… now. Like this."

"I bet if you dared her to go skinny-dipping in Lake Hylia, she would take you up on it."

"Stop it!" Link flushed again. "You're not helping."

Navi giggled. "Helping is only part of my job."

Link buried his face in his hands. "Save me from impish sidekicks when the world is going to pieces!"

"The world will wait five more minutes. Come on, finish getting dressed and come talk to Bo."

He did, but he'd reminded himself that Ilia was still missing, and he was grave by the time he came out.

Bo was still looking amused. "She's a fine, brave girl. Stood up for me the last time I visited Hyrule Castle. You're a lucky man, Link."

"I need to go," Link said. "The sooner I can save the Gorons from whatever's troubling them, the sooner I can find Ilia. They might know where she is, though I doubt it. Eldin the Spirit said she wasn't in Eldin Province."

"It's all right, lad. You are doing all you can. You don't have to stop smiling just because you can't save everyone at once."

"I couldn't save the people of Kakariko. So many of them died when Zant's monsters attacked."

"But see here, Link, it's foolish to transfer feelings of guilt from one situation from three years ago onto every other situation that comes up." Link started. Bo was more perceptive than he had guessed. "I can't help worrying about what trouble Ilia is in, and I do wish I could just drop everything and go help her, but I can't. I have my duties as mayor, real duties," and he smiled, because Malo and Talo often insinuated that Bo just sat around all day doing nothing. "But I'm older than you. I understand you're still allowed to smile in the midst of cares and troubles, even life-threatening ones. So take that long look off your face!"

Link sighed and shrugged. "I'll try. Thanks, anyway. And thanks for the boots and the lesson."

"Off with you, now. Go help those Gorons. They're good folks. And I'll go talk to Uli and Sera and Pergie. They'll be wanting to know that their kids are safe."

Link nodded and left.

.

Rana was waiting at his house with the horses. She'd saddled Epona, though the sumo lesson had taken longer than either of them thought and now the horses were restless.

She still wasn't looking at Link. "Hi."

"Hi." He watched her fussing with Falone's saddle for a minute. "Did you get to see my house?"

"Not really?" She looked up, shyly, and he smiled encouragingly. They'd just pretend all that awkwardness didn't happen, and things would be fine.

"Come in and I'll show you around quickly."

She loved it, of course. "It's like a bigger version of your home in Kokiri Forest!"

"That's one reason I like it so much, yes."

She liked the skylight above his bed. "You must watch the stars a lot from here."

"I did."

He wanted to get going, back to Kakariko, do some exercises and go to bed, and she picked up on it. "Okay, I'm done. Let's get going! It's a long ride back."

"Hopefully we don't run into many monsters along the way."

.

The ride back was quieter than usual. Rana was still embarrassed. But she still mustered up cheerful chatter on the butterflies and insects she'd been looking at, and people she'd met in Hyrule Castle Town, and the weather when it wasn't Twilight outside. Link encouraged her as he could.

In the early evening, they came to the gate of Kakariko. Rana finally fell quiet. "Doesn't the air feel funny?" she asked, tilting her head to listen. For answer Link urged Epona faster.

Around the bend in the road, he could see a disappearing cloud of dust ahead of him. Glancing around, he saw Beth, who looked to be on the verge of tears, and Talo, who looked shaken. Renado was looking out his doorway, looking grave again.

Malo pointed down the road. "Monsters got Colin!"

That was all Link needed to hear. "Come on!" He gritted his teeth and Epona leaped forward, leaving Rana and Falone behind. His sword rang in its sheath as he drew it and clenched it tight in his left hand.

All he could hear was the thunder of Epona's hooves, the rush of blood in his ears and the wind on his face, and his own half-conscious chant to his horse: "Come on, fly for me, girl… faster, fast as you can…"

If he was lucky, he could save his young friend and redeem himself for not being there when they needed him.


	6. Chapter 6: Strength

Chapter 6: Strength

.

He shot out of the Kakariko Canyon, over a natural bridge across the ravine that encircled half of Hyrule, and they were waiting for him.

A great fat Moblin and a crowd of Bokoblins, all riding boars, had just turned and were watching him. They must have heard him coming. All the better, then he wouldn't have to chase them to get Colin back.

Colin. They had tied him to a long pole that was strapped to the Moblin's boar. The boy dangled like a limp banner beneath a long red rag of a flag that was attached to the top of the pole. He did not look conscious.

Link ground his teeth. He would get the boy back or die trying. He saw some of the Bokoblins drawing bows and launched Epona forward before they could shoot accurately at him.

Rana and Falone were on their way, entering the field behind him. "I'll take the Bokoblins!" she cried. "You get Colin!"

The Moblin had no intention of letting that happen. Before Link could even get close, he had blown a rough note on a large boar-tusk horn and spurred his boar into motion, heaving up a huge axe. The Bokoblins began to close in on him, yammering as they came, until Rana galloped in front of half the line, distracting them and making them chase her instead.

Epona was faster than any boar, and she was charging flat out, responding to his shouts of encouragement. But how to attack him when he got close? He ducked an arrow and, pulling up on the Moblin's left, swung his sword across the gap. The blade got tangled in the Moblin's armour straps and he yanked excitedly; he was not in a comfortable position and he didn't want to lose his sword.

The sword came free, and with it some of the Moblin's armour, exposing green skin on that side. Link ducked away before the massive axe could come crashing down on his arm or worse, the rest of him – or Epona. The Moblin growled at him and changed direction abruptly.

Some of the Bokoblins, chased by Rana, who was seemingly driving them before her by the verbal power of her insults, came into Epona's path and Link veered frantically. "Sorry!" she called anxiously, and knocked a Bokoblin off the back of his boar with a sweep of the flat of her sword. Epona weaved her way through the mob somehow, and Link let out a short breath and maybe stopped squeezing Epona quite so hard with his knees.

The Moblin was zigzagging north across the field. It took Link a few desperate minutes to catch up to him again. His attacks, this time from the right, bounced off the armour. The Moblin swung the axe horizontally at him and Link ducked, almost falling off Epona. She interpreted that as a command to move right, and the Moblin moved left, and he wasted precious seconds getting back into position.

He slashed away at the armour again and was rewarded by some of it falling off, but the Moblin reached out and grabbed his arm. For a half-second the two antagonists stared at each other, and then Link tried to wrench his arm free from the crushing grip. The Moblin grinned and hung on.

He heard Rana shout, and ducked on reflex. But she was on the other side of the Moblin, and he couldn't see what she was doing… Wait, was she using a slingshot?

The Moblin growled some more, but tried to ignore her. Still, his attention was divided now, and at least he couldn't attack Link with his axe at the moment.

An arrow came over Rana's shoulder and struck the Moblin in the unarmoured part of his side, a lucky shot if Link had ever seen one. Or maybe not so lucky for the Bokoblin who fired it, who squeaked and immediately turned to run away. Link finally got his half-crushed arm back, and stabbed at the Moblin's face. But now he was moving away, towards a bridge to the north, almost in the Twilight but not yet.

There was a barricade over the end of the bridge, but the Moblin's boar jumped over it. Link and Epona followed close behind, her powerful form effortlessly clearing the barricade just as another flaming arrow set it on fire beneath them.

Rana swept past the line of Bokoblins, and their boars spooked, moving away from the bridge.

The Moblin had reached the other end of the bridge and turned. There was another barricade there, too, but he didn't jump it and flee into the wilderness beyond. Then it, too, was on fire, illuminating the Moblin weirdly in combination with the light from the setting sun.

Link wondered why the Moblin had not fled, and then as the boar tossed its head, he realized. The Moblin was planning to knock him off the bridge to the swift river far below. Link glanced up at Colin. He was still unconscious. Link couldn't knock the Moblin off the bridge without losing Colin.

Or could he…?

A plan of his own was forming in his head, a plan that would take all of the finesse he had in his left arm. But it could work, and it was probably his only chance.

The Moblin's boar snorted, pawed the ground, and charged.

Epona reared with a high, defiant whinny, and charged back. Link swung his sword back, ready to target that one spot…

"Heya!" He kicked Epona to go faster with a shout, and she nipped to the right, barely clearing the swing of the boar's tusks, and all Link's focus went to that one point on the Moblin's side where the arrow had struck him.

His sword struck flesh. Was it enough?

When he turned to look, the sheer force of his blow had apparently blasted the Moblin off his mount, for he was falling howling to the rushing water far below. The boar shuddered to a halt, and Link reined in Epona, his sword brandished high and out of the way as she reared in protest at the sudden stop.

As soon as he could, he slid off her back and ran to the boar, which was now standing quietly where its master had fallen from it, grunting softly. Link wondered if it was intelligent enough to know its master was dead.

He looked out at Hyrule Field and saw Rana coming back. Where the Bokoblins and their boars had gone, he didn't even want to know.

He climbed up as gently as he could onto the boar, and found how the staff that held Colin was tied on. It was too tight for him to untie, and it was top-heavy.

"Go ask Rana for help," he said to Navi, who bobbed and flew away.

Falone didn't want to jump the burning barricade, so Rana jumped down. With a running start, she flipped over the fire and rolled as she landed.

"Nice," Navi said.

"I agree," Link said. "Can you cut this rope for me while I hold Colin?"

Rana nodded and did so.

Link's arms shook with the sudden loose weight, and he carefully let the staff slide to the ground. Rana was quick to cut the boy free.

Link jumped down and took Colin from Rana. "His arm is broken."

"But he'll live. We need to get him back to Renado right away," Navi said. "But the fire…"

"It's dying down," Rana said. "There wasn't much there, I guess. I wonder if I can push some of it out of the way with my shield."

Link carefully put Colin on Epona and mounted behind him, while Rana tried pushing the last of the burning brush aside. It worked, though she hissed to herself a little bit.

.

Back in Kakariko, Link called Renado before he had even dismounted from Epona. The other children were already clustering around him, and he knelt with Colin in his arms, so they could see he was all right. He was careful not to move Colin's arm too much. The boy's face was pale, but there wasn't anything he could do for him without Renado.

Colin's eyes unexpectedly fluttered open at that moment, focusing blearily on Link's face.

"Green… Link… Is everyone all right?"

Link nodded, and Colin's gaze wandered to Beth. "That's good. Beth… I'm sorry for… for shoving you. Are you mad?" She shook her head quickly, and Colin smiled and his eyes closed.

The children gasped, but Renado swooped in and picked him up.

"Thank goodness he's safe," was all he said before disappearing back into his house. His daughter followed him.

Link turned and found Beth staring at him in the dimming light of dusk. "It's all my fault!" And she burst into tears.

Link knelt down again. "What happened? It's okay, Colin's safe now. Just tell me what happened."

She hiccoughed. "Me and Talo were playing in the street, just here outside the hotel, when we heard something. We looked around, and then these huge monsters came galloping around the corner in the road, the same ones who kidnapped us in the first place. Talo ran, but… I couldn't. I couldn't move at all!" She hiccoughed again. "And then Colin pushed me out of the way, and when I turned around, they had grabbed him. And then I… I ran and hid. I'm sorryyyyy!" she wailed.

Link gave her a little hug. "It's all right. Everyone's safe now, and I killed that monster. He won't bother you any more." She clung to him trustingly, and he picked her up. "Why don't you go to bed? It's been an exciting day." She nodded slowly, and he carried her toward the hotel.

After he tucked her into bed, he went back down and led Epona to the stable. Rana was already there with Falone. Both horses looked tired.

"Thanks, Epona," Link murmured to his horse. "You saved everyone, today. Not the first time, and probably not the last." And he kissed her nose. She whickered softly in return and bent her head to get at her food.

"Today was crazy, huh?" Rana said, pulling a blanket over her horse. "Are you all right?"

"I'm all right," he said, brushing Epona down. "You saved us too. You kept those things off our backs."

"And almost got you killed with them, too," and her face looked guilty.

"You'll have to try harder than that to trip up Epona," he said, and smiled. She smiled back, though there was a hesitation in it.

"Are you all right?" he asked at length. It wasn't like Rana to be this quiet. Was she still worried about what had happened in the morning?

"Yeah. Just tired. You better sleep well tonight."

Had she noticed him getting up in the previous night? "I will. Especially if you're with me."

Now that was a real smile, although shy. She was definitely still feeling awkward, then.

But he left space for her when he went to bed, and a few minutes later, she slipped in beside him, wearing an old grey nightgown that was probably two sizes too big for her. His rambling mind wondered where she had got it, and if it belonged to her, and if it did, why Naeri – or Zelda – hadn't fixed that for her… and then he fell asleep.

.

He woke to find her snuggling in to him, even though it was already fairly warm out and he was fairly sure his body radiated heat more than hers did. If they were climbing Death Mountain that day, it was going to be killer.

She sat up and tilted her head playfully as she looked down at him. Her hair was tousled in all directions and her green eyes were still half-closed. She yawned and stretched, arching her back.

He yawned himself. "How's Colin?" Immediately he knew it was the wrong thing to say, and his mind caught up with him – of course she hadn't been to check on Colin yet. "How're you?"

"Awake," she said. She bent and tried to kiss him, but he was in the middle of another yawn.

When he was done, she pounced on him, and dreamily he lay there and let her kiss him. She paused. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," he answered. "Why?"

"You're not doing very much."

"I've been doing a lot the last few days."

She pouted. "But… with me."

"I don't understand…"

"More hugs, you idiot," Navi said from the windowsill. "You're just sitting there like a lump. Goddesses gave you arms for a reason!"

He mentally smacked himself. He didn't need much attention, but Rana did, and he had forgotten.

Before she could react, he wrapped his arms around her and rolled over, and they tumbled together to the floor below the bed, with him on top. She squeaked into his mouth as he kissed her. But all traces of worry had vanished from her eyes. Her arms tightened around him.

Someone coughed in the doorway, and they turned to see Malo looking at them.

"Breakfast is ready," said the precocious three-year-old. "I thought the thumping meant you were getting up, not getting ready to go back to bed."

Both Link and Rana blushed crimson as Malo waddled away. Link sat up.

"Sorry," Rana said.

"Why are you apologizing? I don't think Malo really understands."

"Well he certainly misjudged our intentions," Rana said, squirming out from under him and jumping up. She grabbed her tunic and shorts. "I'm not going to bed you; that would be irresponsible."

There was a teasing grin hovering around his lips. "You're responsible?"

She smacked him with her tunic, grinning back and blushing. "Get out."

He grabbed his boots and went to check on Colin.

Colin was awake when Link came across him. "Hi."

"Hi," Link said gently, sitting on the edge of his bed. "How are you feeling?"

Colin glanced at his cast. "Better. I'm so glad you saved me. I was just… you know? I remember panicking. I just wanted to get away from the monsters. But Beth was standing there, and I thought how awful it would be if she got taken again. So I… just… ran out there."

"You were incredibly brave," Link said. "I don't know many adults who would show your courage."

"I didn't even think about that," Colin said. "But I was thinking… I think I understand what my dad meant when he said I should be stronger, like you. He wasn't talking about lifting stuff." He raised his good arm in the air and made a weak fist. "He meant being brave." The fist tightened momentarily, and Colin frowned at it, before letting it fall back to his side with a sigh. "Like you. You can do anything! You saved us, and then you saved me again. And I know you've been saving people all this time. You'll save the Gorons next, won't you?"

Link smiled and nodded firmly. "I'm heading up there right after breakfast."

"Good luck."

Renado glided into the room from the back as Navi came through the front door.

"Link, aren't you going to have breakfast?" she asked. "It's getting cold."

"I wanted to see Colin," Link protested.

Renado smiled. "He will heal well. He is in good hands. Fortune be with you on your journey."

Colin waved at him as he left.

.

The Goron guarding the trail today was a different one than last time. "Hey! No humans!"

"Demi, it's me, Rana, and Link! You haven't forgotten him, have you?"

"But… you're humans. I can't just let you up here. Darbus said not to, no matter who asked, not even Princess Zelda!"

Link sighed, then called up. "I want to help. I heard you have some trouble. I'm Darunia's sworn brother, doesn't that count for anything?"

The Goron hesitated. "Our troubles are our own!"

"Just like ten years ago, huh? Look, I proved it to you then, and I'll prove it to you now. Just let me up so we can save some time."

"Sorry, I can't." The Goron curled up.

"Look out!" Rana cried. "He's going to charge!"

"Rana, get out of the way. Navi, boots." He seemed to recall being able to dodge rolling Gorons as a child, or maybe they were just regular boulders, but he wasn't going to take that chance here with a full-sized Goron actively trying to hit him. He just hoped his arms would be able to stand up to the inevitable blow.

The Goron's roll struck him head on and he gasped at the impact. Without even thinking, he swung the Goron around him and he continued his roll further down the trail, bouncing off a corner and uncurling in chagrin, too far away to stop the Hylians from continuing their climb.

Link checked his arms, legs, and ribs. Nothing was broken. But he was going to be sore tomorrow. He hoped he didn't have to do that again.

"You all right?" Rana asked from behind him. "That scared me."

"I'm still in one piece, yes. But I'd rather not do that again."

"I'm with you on that. How about you let me go in front, and I dodge them? I can totally dodge them."

Link shook his head. "I don't want to risk that."

Rana shrugged. "Just don't get yourself killed by your own pig-headed allies."

"Will do."

"I'll warn you if there are any more coming," Navi said, flying up a little ahead of them.

Twice more he was saved by his fairy's warning, although one time he was able to dodge by climbing a boulder out of the way. It took them longer than he was used to, but by noon they had reached Goron City.

The City had grown since he had last seen it. It was now occupying multiple levels in the cliffside, connected by metal platforms and ramps. On one side was an extensive set of hot springs, where several Gorons were relaxing.

Link's green tunic and Rana's blue tunic were not going to be inconspicuous in this environment, nor the glowing fairies fluttering alongside them.

"Let's hope they think we've worked too hard to get here to throw us all the way back down the mountain," Navi said.

"But you fly," Rana said. "You don't have to worry about anything."

"Pfft, I'm worried about you two squishy beings," Navi retorted. "You're much easier to catch."

"Well, come on," Link said, starting straight across the open space to the main gate.

Before they were halfway, a line of Gorons had formed, blocking the gate, frowning down at the Hylians. It was intimidating, but Link stared back, unmoved. Rana and the fairies hid behind him.

"Darbus said no humans!" the biggest of the Gorons growled. "We have guards all down the trail. How did you get up here?"

"Through my strength," Link answered. "Have you forgotten I'm Darunia's Sworn Brother? It'll take more than that to keep me out of where I need to be."

"Need to be? Where you need to be, human, is off fighting monsters on the border… Miss Rana, you too. Not up here, getting up in Goron business."

"For crying out loud!" Navi said. "He's the Hero of Time, and we know you have some kind of problem, and Eldin the Light Spirit himself asked us to help! Link and I never met Darbus before, but let us see him and let him decide for himself!"

"No!" bellowed the Goron angrily. "I don't care who you are! I know what the Hero did for us, but this is a different time and place! Get lost!"

"Wait!" said another voice, an older, creakier Goron voice. "Is that the Hero?"

The Gorons grudgingly backed away, revealing an old Goron with bright, cheerful eyes. "Hello, Sir Link. Hello, Rana! Sir Link, I am Gor Coron, one of the elders of the Goron people. I apologize for the trouble you've had coming up here."

"But Darbus…" began the big Goron.

"I will deal with Darbus later," Coron said. "For now, go about your business. I will have words with the Hero."

Coron led them up to the highest floor of the city, where they sat on the floor of a ledge and looked out across the open space down towards Kakariko. Tea was brought in large clay cups. "I must be honest with you, Sir Link."

"Please just call me Link."

Coron nodded. "As you wish. You see, Darbus is not here right now."

"I guessed as much," Rana muttered.

"He… well, he went into the mines a few days ago, when the troubles started, and… I had better start from the beginning. You probably never knew about our mines, did you?"

"If they're not part of Dodongo's Cavern or the Fire Temple, then no," Link answered.

"Well, you see, we had… lost the mines several centuries ago. A great cave-in blocked the entrance, and for all our efforts, we could not get back in, and we had lost the tools we needed to gain entrance in the mines themselves. But when the land went crazy, we found that we suddenly had an open door to them once more. Rana here says that it's the Goddesses' doing."

"We also found what had caused the cave-in in the first place: a dark artifact of great power. For a few years it lay dormant, but just a week ago, it began to glow and give off some kind of aura. The mountain also got violent again. Big chunks of half-melted rock land around here all the time. It is good for the humans down in Kakariko Village that they aren't closer. Darbus ordered us to keep the humans out for their own safety after that."

"Darbus went to investigate, and us elders went with him." Coron's eyes twinkled briefly at Link. "Darunia isn't here at the moment either, as your ladyfriend will probably have told you." Link nodded. "He's off on a quest of some kind. But the rest of us went down with Darbus. And the moment he touched that thing, he changed. He turned into some kind of monster. We were terrified, as you can guess! But we managed to lock him away, and he hasn't broken out yet."

"So this is what you need me for," Link said. "To remove this thing from Darbus."

"I'm not sure how you will do that," Coron said. "You may have to beat the tar out of him first, literally. But I must be certain that you can do that, otherwise I'm not letting you go down there! It took the entire Goron council just to restrain him! There was no way we could defeat him."

Link nodded. "I can beat him. With my help," he gestured around at Rana and the fairies, "I can succeed."

Coron stood. "I'm still going to have to test you. With… sumo! And I'm the sumo champion this month, so you'll have a good work-out!"

Link leaned over and hammered his face on the floor. Rana laughed and tugged him to his feet. "See, aren't you glad Bo taught you how to wrestle?"

Link shook his head in disbelief. "This is ridiculous."

"Problem?" Coron looked back and forth between them, his eyes twinkling again.

"No," Link said. "I initially didn't want to learn sumo. And I don't like being wrong."

"No one does, lad. Come along! We'll fight in the square on the ground floor."

By the time they reached the main floor, a crowd of Gorons was following them, all rumbling in excitement.

Link looked around at them all, thronging around the sumo platform, and sighed.

"I'm going to need to use my boots," he said to Coron, who was stretching.

The other nodded. "That is fine. You are a skinny little human and should have as fair a fight as you can."

Link began to pull off his tunic. "Thanks." He handed his things to Rana, who was already wearing a massive involuntary grin. There was no avoiding this, so he gave her a grin in return and went to take his place in the ring.

An even older Goron announced the challenge as Link and Coron bowed to each other, and bent low in the starting position, sizing each other up. Coron was older than most Gorons Link had met, which only meant that if he was the sumo champion for this month that the other top competitors had been sick… or that he was cunning and stronger than he looked. Which was already strong enough for Link.

The whistle blew, and instead of rushing forward and relying on his speed to bull Coron backward, Link chose instead to circle and see how Coron moved. Coron also circled, watching him. It was difficult to move with his boots on, but at least he wouldn't go backwards in a hurry.

Coron made the first aggressive move, and Link sidestepped. Too simple. He was going to have to put up more of a fight than that. Coron took a swing at him, and Link sidestepped again and hurled himself at the Goron.

"Yeah!" Navi cheered. "Kick his butt, Link!" The crowd was going crazy.

Coron got a firm footing sooner than Link would have liked, and began to push back. Link strained, teeth grinding, the two of them locked together in the centre of the ring.

He had to do something unexpected. It didn't help that Coron was smiling, looking at him like he could read his mind. Link gritted his teeth, this time in frustration. He really was an amateur. But he had determination, didn't that count for something?

He gave a little and let Coron push him back a pace or two, and seized the other and performed what he hoped was a legal place-switching manoeuvre. From the screams of the crowd, it was acceptable.

Coron wasn't going to go down so easily, and smacked him back and began pushing him back, regaining all the ground he had just lost.

Link dug his weighted feet in and pushed back with all his might, and slowly, Coron's onslaught began to slow. The Goron's grip on him began to slip, what with the sweat that was pouring off him.

He adjusted his own grip on Coron and heaved. He didn't think a slap from him was going to cause Coron to pause anything except to chuckle, and he would probably hurt his hand, too. So he just sidestepped as unpredictably as he could and kept pushing. And Coron pushed back, and they were locked together again.

And Coron's right arm, the one wrapped around his left arm, slipped, and Link almost fell but caught himself and put his weight onto Coron instead.

The Goron teetered on the edge of the platform, and as the crowd's noise built into a deafening crescendo, he fell. Link almost fell off too, from exhaustion, but caught himself and pulled himself tiredly upright. His victory sank in, and he panted out a laugh.

Coron pulled himself upright. "Well done, lad. You are exceptionally strong for a human. I think you've earned the right to go into the mines."

"Thank you, Gor Coron," Link replied, and dropped off the edge of the platform in Rana's general direction. Navi came whizzing over, whirling around his head in hyper-active excitement, and she couldn't speak. He laughed and raised a finger to her.

He dodged a few backslaps from congratulatory Gorons on his way over to Rana. She had somehow acquired a towel and was waiting for him with it. He took it gratefully and scrubbed the sweat from his front and back. While it was looped around his neck, she grabbed the ends of it and pulled him close for a kiss.

He was surprised, but pleasantly so. And when she whispered "That was the hottest thing I've ever seen," he couldn't help but grin and kiss her more deeply. Her arms went around his neck and her hands crept into his hair, and his went around her waist. She was so slim, and she fit against him so perfectly.

They broke apart, breathing rather harder than necessary, to find most of the Gorons looking at their public display of affection, and grinning. And without his shirt, chainmail, or tunic, Rana was touching the bare skin of his back, which was pleasant, but really kind of strange for him. He could feel her body so clearly against his without any of that in the way.

He let go of her and shrugged in a "whatever" kind of way, but he knew his face was turning red.

Instead he went and got dressed again, though it was definitely time to get that shirt washed.

.

Gor Coron brought them to an opening in the City he had never seen before.

"You won't need a special protective tunic to go in here," the Goron elder told them. "At least, I don't think so. And before I forget, we have a present for you!"

"Oh, yeah, that," Rana said.

Coron held out his bow. "We've been taking care of it for you! But you'll want it back now."

"Thanks very much," Link said. It was comfortable in his hands. He hadn't used a bow in a while. But he could probably still handle it. He strung it and pulled experimentally, and nodded to Coron.

"How is it?" Navi asked.

"Good as ever," Link said. "Nice to have a proper ranged weapon again."

Rana had skipped ahead a little bit. "Link, come look at this. I want to show you this. This is cool."

He shouldered the bow and its quiver and scrambled up beside her.

The Goron Mines were open to the sky, a steep-walled bowl dotted with mysterious technological-looking structures.

"Those are cranes," Rana said. "I'm not sure why they call them that. But anyway they use them to carry metal equipment around the mine. Huh. Some of the walkways are broken."

"Probably from the disturbance in the mountain," Navi said. "We'll find a way around. Do you know where we're going?"

"No… Not really. They only let me in this part. They said the tunnels were too dangerous."

Link nodded. "We'll figure this out all together. And anyway we'll have to find the key first."

Navi was out in front with Naeri. "What are you waiting for? This isn't going to get any easier the more you stand around!"

Link took a drink from his water bottle, capped it, and hastily followed the fairies.

.

They only explored the mines for a few hours before dusk came on them. Rana suggested they go back to the City for food and rest, since they had brought nothing to eat and there were some monsters in the mines – not too many, but enough to give Link pause about sleeping there for the night.

"I thought the Gorons ate rock," Navi said.

"They do," Rana answered. "But thanks to me being a regular guest, they've begun stocking more normal human food. They can make a mean salad, actually. We've made a good start today, we can come back tomorrow."

Link was weary and didn't take much convincing. He had done his sword exercises back in the morning, so all there was for him to do was eat and curl up on the 'bed', a raised rocky platform in a small chamber within the City. He had slept in worse places, and less comfortable, too. He didn't even notice if Rana came to lie beside him or not.

.

If she had come in the night, she was gone in the morning. Link rolled out of bed and lay sprawled on the floor, which was not any more comfortable than the bed. He was sure he had bruises just from sleeping, and he was drenched in sweat from the heat. Rana had probably left from how terrible he smelled.

"Hey, sleepyhead," Navi said, floating in front of him. "Rana's already gone to get breakfast. No nightmares tonight?"

He shook his head. "I think this bed scared them all out of me."

Navi giggled. "Go eat."

He found Rana two rooms over, poking at a giant salad. "I'm not sure they believe I only need half of this," she was saying to Naeri. "Hi, Link! Come help me split this salad, it's huge."

"Sorry I smell so bad," he said as he came to sit near her. "I don't suppose there's anywhere in the city I can get a bath."

"No," Rana shook her head regretfully. Then she looked askance at him. "What do you mean, you smell bad?"

"Don't I?"

"No, not to me."

Link looked at Navi. "Don't I?"

Navi shrugged. "If you do, I'm used to it. I ride on you sometimes, remember?"

Link glared at her. "You guys are weird."

Rana rolled her eyes at him. "Isn't it a good thing? I'm not complaining about it, right?"

"I guess so. But I still can't wait until we go back to Kakariko and get everything clean. It's been a week since I washed this shirt."

"Wait, how have you not had time to clean? I did… I thought you were, too."

"I've been busy doing other things. And every time I think of it, it's at a point where I can't do anything about it."

"Your priorities are different," Naeri observed. "Rana, you should tell him the next time you wash your things, and then you can get his and wash them too."

"Otherwise, yeah, he'll never remember!" Navi agreed.

Rana smiled and drank her water. "I was wondering if I smelled bad, actually, until you came in. I guess I don't?"

"I haven't noticed," he answered truthfully, and she seemed to believe him.

.

They headed back into the mines a short while later, picking up where they had left off.

The sun was still climbing into the sky when they came across a cavern at the end of a tunnel. A large Goron was waiting for them, wearing armour. Link had never seen a Goron in armour before.

"Dan!" Rana cried. "Hi! How are you? What are you doing here?"

"I'm guarding the key to Darbus's prison," the Goron answered. "What are you doing here? It's dangerous for you squishy little humans."

"I need the key," Link said. "I'm going to help Darbus."

The Goron shook his head, and a great deal of his body as well. "No! You can't go in there! He's crazy! They told me about it, how he turned into a fiery giant with big pointy teeth! He'd probably eat us all alive!"

Link stared at him evenly. "I'm still going there. The least you can do is hand over the key."

The Goron brought a hammer down on the ground with a smack, and the ground wobbled. It was a loose rocky platform floating in magma. "No! I have to protect this to protect Goron City, and the world! Go away! I don't want to hurt either of you!"

Link drew his sword. "I don't want to hurt you either, but you're in my way. Rana, stay back."

She drew up level with him, her sword also out. "Why do you keep putting me back?"

"Because I don't want you to get hurt."

"He really would feel terrible if you got hurt," Navi said.

"I understand that, but I am capable of taking care of myself! Haven't I improved over the last ten years?"

The Goron, Dan, was distracted by their arguing, and Link charged him. "You have, but that's not going to make me feel any better when you get hurt."

"If!" She ran after him lightly. "I might be fragile, but on the other hand, it's very hard for my enemies to touch me. I bet you'd fuss over Zelda, too, even if Sheik was fighting."

"Yes, of course I would."

She scowled and jumped aside from a swing of Dan's hammer. The platform wobbled wildly, and Link almost lost his balance. "Link, you're going to have to work on that attitude. I want to help, I can help, and I'm not helping by sitting back out of danger. I thought we covered this before."

"But then I'm not distracted by my worry," he said, but it was a weak argument.

"And then I'm doubly distracted by _my_ worry!" she shot back, as he locked his sword with the hammer and almost dragged it out of the Goron's hands. "Just give it time. You'll see, I'm worthy of fighting beside you or anyone."

"I know you are. I just don't like it." They struggled to keep their footing on the sliding platform, but the Goron seemed to be having a worse time than they were, having a higher centre of gravity.

Link knocked him back with a blow from his shield, and the Goron tumbled backwards and curled up, skidding almost to the edge of the platform. "I yield! I yield!"

"So can we have that key?" Navi asked, getting in his face.

"Yes, yes. It's back there. Just let me get clear before you go waking up the monster!"

"We can do that," Rana said. "Take care, Dan."

The Goron climbed out of the cavern and rolled up the tunnel, sparks flying from his armour.

Link climbed up the other side of the room as Rana amused herself by bouncing on the moving platform. There was a little box there, and in it was a large cylindrical key.

He held it up. "All set."

"Hooray!" Rana cried. "I'll race you to the locked door."

"You'll win," Link called after her, struggling to cross the platform without falling down.

"Maybe," she said, waiting for him at the tunnel.

"We're really doing this?"

"We're really doing this. Naeri, count us down?"

It was a close race. He had more tools at his disposal, but Rana was lighter and more quick-footed. Where he relied on strength and planned application of his various devices to get him to his destination, she seemed to dance parallel to him, making use of routes too narrow or too fragile for him to traverse.

He slammed, panting, into the closed door. Rana collided with his back a moment later, laughing uncontrollably. He slid to the floor.

"See, you won," she said, leaning on her knees and breathing hard.

He just focused on gulping air. "Not for your lack of trying."

She grinned. "We challenge each other. It's good."

He smiled back. "You're right."

"We need Sheik here, and then things will be just amazing," she continued. "He's cool."

"Wait," Navi said. "I thought we settled that Sheik was Zelda. So isn't she a girl?"

Rana winked. "Magic. Also we're keeping her cover. As a him."

"Too complicated for me. But I did wish that he and I had been able to fight together more, three years ago," Link said, and pulled himself to his feet. "Are you ready?"

She saluted cutely. "Ready and able, sir!"

Link unlocked the door. A dark tunnel stretched away before them, heading down. A hot wind blew past them.


	7. Chapter 7: Sick Zora

Chapter 7: Sick Zora

.

At the end of the tunnel was a second locked door.

"All right," Link said. "Let's get this straight. Rana, if you get hurt in there, I won't forgive myself, even if it's not my fault."

She smiled at him. "Got it. And you be careful too! Just because you're the Hero doesn't mean you're invulnerable!"

He nodded. "Navi, watch my back."

"As always."

But behind the door was another labyrinth of tunnels. "Understandable," Navi said. "You'd want obviously evil artifacts of power to be hidden as deep as you can get."

All the traps were still set, too, which meant it was another couple hours before they finally stood before another great door, down where it was hottest. The Hylians took another drink of water.

"Ready?"

"We're all ready. Let's do it."

He opened the door, and it creaked and groaned on its hinges. He paused, taking in the giant figure before him. Behind him, the door swung shut again and locked.

It was easily four times his height, and was built like a bear. It breathed loudly, though it sounded like it was asleep. All four limbs were chained by ponderous chains, its wrists to the ceiling, and its ankles to the floor. It was covered in shadows, so he couldn't see clearly what its skin was made of. Its head was covered in a helmet of layered plates, with a ruby in the centre on its forehead. As he focused on it, the ruby blinked like an eye, a red cat's eye, and began to glow. Light streamed out from the jewel, and Fyrus awoke.

He lunged at Link with a roar, showing a cavernous mouth filled with long tusk-like teeth. Link brought up his shield with a grunt, although Fyrus seemed securely chained.

Rana sounded quavery behind him. "So… how do we beat him?"

Fyrus took a look at the chains that bound his wrists, and burst into flames with a roar of rage. His entire body was on fire, like a giant lava creature. Torches spontaneously ignited on the walls of the circular chamber.

Link backed up from the sudden blast of heat, and drew his sword. "We'll think of something."

Fyrus yanked first one arm, and then the other, and the chains that had looked so secure gave way like they were made of crystal. Link and Rana ran in opposite directions. Fyrus came after Link, surprisingly fast. The room wasn't terribly large, either.

"Rana!" Link yelled. "I'm going to need a distraction while I get my bow out!"

"Got it!" she called back, her voice shot through with an excitement that only came from an adrenaline rush. "Cross paths and then double back!"

Fyrus fell for their ruse, and now he was chasing Rana, who was also making as much noise as she could. "Come get me, you overgrown fossilized flaming shadow-fart! Don't pay any attention to my boyfriend over there, he's just going to shoot you in the face, no big! Come on, I'm easier to catch anyway!"

"Jump!" Naeri called to her, and Rana gave a short scream in surprise as Fyrus swung his chains at her. She flipped away, landing in a crouch. On his second swing, the chains struck her shield and sent her flying back.

But it was all the time Link needed. He let his arrow fly, and it struck the monster in the ruby eye in his helmet. He roared and clawed at his face.

Rana was picking herself up, dazed. Fyrus was advancing blindly on her. Link dashed forward wildly and grabbed one of the chains that had bound his ankles. "Navi, boots!" He dug in his feet and pulled backwards, straining with all his might.

Rana jumped aside just in time as the behemoth came crashing down where she had been standing. His flame was out, temporarily at least.

"Attack the eye!" Link called to her, and she sprang forward again, her sword flickering in the torchlight.

"Look out!" Naeri cried, as Fyrus began to pick himself up again. Rana took her advice and ran.

Link took cover behind his shield as a wall of fire erupted from the monster.

"Your hat's on fire," Navi observed, and he snatched it off his head and stomped on it.

The monster turned to him, breathing fire as he came. Link wasn't going to get a clear shot.

"Rana! Can you shoot a bow?"

"Of course I can! You want me to?"

"Navi, get the bow to Rana. I'll play bait this time."

"Got it."

So he ran and jumped, dodging gouts of flame and chain whips, until Rana had a clear shot. He heard Fyrus roar and glanced over his shoulder to see him pawing at his face.

"I'll knock him over!" Link called. "You be ready to attack him again!" Without waiting for an answer, he sprinted to one of the chains trailing on the ground, as Rana dashed past him to take his place in front of Fyrus.

The monster knew what they were planning, he had to, but Link dragged him back with all the strength he had left in him, and Fyrus stumbled. Flailing at the air, he went down and landed heavily in front of Rana. She flinched, but jumped to attack as he landed. Link ran to see if he could join her.

She shattered the jewel on the front of the helmet, and Link dove at her to shield her from the blast of flame that came from it. They hit the ground hard, but the fire passed harmlessly over their backs.

Fyrus staggered clumsily to his feet and pawed at his broken helmet, roaring and flailing. His chains whipped around dangerously, and Link kept his head down and his shield up.

There was a ground-shaking thud, and Link looked up to see the room full of black particles and a Goron who was still twice his height slumped unconscious on the ground where the monster had been.

Link got up, breathing hard, and offered a hand to Rana. "All right?"

She winced. "I think I broke a rib again. I'll live. You okay?" She was shaking as she sat up slowly; with fear or adrenaline, he couldn't tell.

The particles shot together and fused into another strangely carved stone thing. It had spirals jutting out from one side. It didn't actually look like anything. Modern art, maybe. It fell towards him, and on reflex, he reached out to catch it.

Midna spurted out from under him and caught it before he could touch it. "Don't! I would have thought you'd've learned from that guy over there. This thing is dangerous! Even if you are the Goddesses' chosen one!"

"Sorry," Link said, helping Rana up and putting an arm around her so she could stand. "Is this another of those things you're looking for?"

"Oh, yes. A Fused Shadow. You two have been very helpful in acquiring these for me, so I think I'll tell you a few things."

"Zant is the king of shadows. You only know him as the one trying to conquer your world, but he is more than that. And he is very powerful. In your current state, you would be no match for him."

She turned away, her small transparent body shaking in anger. "But I swear, he will never be my king! He is nothing more than a traitor, a tyrant!" She whirled back on the little group in front of her. "Not that your Zelda is much better." Rana scowled. "A carefree childhood, a wild youth, a life of luxury… how does that teach duty?"

"Zelda is," Rana began defensively, but Naeri hushed her.

Midna waved dismissively at her. "I apologize. She didn't exactly choose her life or how it went. I suppose she has had her share of hardships. And I certainly wouldn't wish harm on her of all people. No, when I have the complete Fused Shadow, I'll be fine." She tittered. "So keep it up! Shall we leave this place?"

"The… complete Fused Shadow?" Navi asked cautiously.

"Someone's coming," Midna said, tense, and disappeared into the ground.

Gor Coron stood in the open doorway, holding it open. "You succeeded! Thank you a thousand times! Hold the door, brother." Dan and some of the other elders stood behind him, and the warrior Goron held the door as Gor Coron trotted over to his patriarch. "Darbus?"

Darbus's eyes opened slowly and ran a rough hand through his mohawk. "Urgh… I feel… my head hurts. Coron?"

"Everything is just fine," Coron said cheerfully. "We've got a delicious meal waiting for you back in the City."

Darbus groaned, a sound that Link felt in his bones, and climbed to his feet. "Food sounds good. What are these humans doing here? I thought I said it was too dangerous."

"We'll explain later," Coron said, with a wink at the Hylians. "Are you hurt, Rana?"

"A little," she said. "Can I catch a ride with someone?"

"Dan will give you a lift back to the City," Coron said. "Come along, Darbus. You're all right now."

.

They made it back to Goron City without incident, although Link was pondering just what these Fused Shadow things were. Was it really safe to leave them with Midna? He knew so little about her, except she seemed to live in the Twilight. He didn't know anything about the Twilight, except that Zant caused it by defeating Guardians of Hyrule that he had never met before. At least he wasn't going after the Sages this time. Perhaps he didn't have the Triforce in mind as a goal, although that would be odd. That was what people usually conquered Hyrule for.

At least Zelda was not in nearly as much danger as she was when Ganondorf took her. But she was a prisoner in her own castle. He had to get her out of there as soon as possible. And then she could help them fight back the evil. They'd fight together, the Triforce of Courage, Wisdom, and Silliness, plus two brave fairies, and drive out Zant and his mysterious armies.

But back to Midna. What was she planning to do with the Fused Shadows? How powerful were they? If things went wrong, could he stop it? Who was she really, and what did she really want?

"You're quieter than usual," Navi observed. "Tired?"

"And confused," Link answered. "I think we need to talk to Midna more, if she'll let us."

"Better do it at night, maybe she'll be more willing then."

They came out into sunlight and Link squinted.

"Oh good," Navi said. "We have time to get to Kakariko before night, and then you can have that wash you're always going on about these days." He laughed.

Rana was chattering animatedly to Dan, who was carrying her on his shoulder, although he caught the little hitches of pain in her voice. How was he going to get her down the mountain? Perhaps they could use the tunnel to the Lost Woods and he could get her a fairy from the fairy fountain there.

There was a small figure standing in the entrance to the mines.

"Hey!" Rana called. "Link! Good to see you!"

Link blinked for a second before cluing in. Here was his namesake.

"Rana!" cried the little Goron. His voice was still squeaky, but he was definitely taller. "Ooh! Is that Human Link?"

Link grinned. "Hi, Goron Link."

The Goron squealed. "Ooh I'm so happy to see you again! Where have you been?"

"Around," Link said, shrugging vaguely. "How's your dad? I know he's away…"

"Daddy's okay. I'm not sure why he's away, but I know it's really important. But Uncle Darbus is taking care of me."

"That's good."

"I was really scared when he went into the mines and didn't come back. But he's okay now, right?"

"He's going to be just fine," Navi said. "I'm sure he'll tell you all about it when he's had some food and rest."

Little Link clapped. "Yay! You saved him, didn't you? I'm glad. I was kind of sad when he said no humans, because that meant that Rana couldn't come and play with me. Oh yeah, do you want to sumo wrestle with me?"

Link laughed. "I'm really tired, Link. I think that's something best left for another day."

"Oh, yeah. I guess you have hero things to do. I'm gonna be just like you one day, you wait and see."

"Well, I remember back when you were resisting the forces of Ganondorf, so you're well on your way," Link told him. "I think we should go. Rana's hurt and we need to get her fixed up as soon as possible."

"Okay! Can I help? I can carry her down the mountain! I know there's a human healer in the village down there. Or the storekeeper sells potions that can help."

Link considered. "Rana, how do you feel about potions?"

"Yes please," she said. "If only to dull the pain."

"I'll go get you one!" Little Link said, and rolled away. Link and Rana sat down in the sun outside the front gate of Goron city.

"We should go in the hot springs," Rana said. "They're nice."

Link fanned himself. "In this heat? With all our gross clothes on? No thanks."

"Well, you should definitely come back in the winter, then," Navi said.

"That's what I do," Rana said. "But just being in the water might be nice. But you're probably right. We'll do it another time."

Little Link came rolling back. "Here you go!" He handed Rana a little bottle full of red liquid, and she swallowed it.

"Thanks, little guy, that helped a lot. I can make it down the mountain now."

"How much do we owe you?" Link asked.

Little Link shook his head violently. "Nothing! Nothing! It's free!"

"Last I checked, things in shops weren't free," Link said.

"No, really, I said it was for you for saving Darbus, and it was free."

"That's never happened before," Navi said, laughing.

"Is it bad?"

"No, it's fine," Link reassured the young Goron. "I'm just not used to that. But I'll make it up to you both sometime."

"Will you please come back soon?" He made a Goron-ish puppy face, and Link smiled.

"I promise I'll come back as soon as I can. And I promise that as soon as the kingdom is out of danger, I'll come wrestle with you. Okay?"

"Okay! Go fix Rana properly!" The small Goron curled up and rolled away quickly.

Link looked over to Rana and saw her grinning. "He's a handful, isn't he?"

"He is," he agreed. "Very cute."

.

They made it slowly down the mountain, arriving at the inn at dusk.

Link slammed open the door dramatically, revealing him, a painfully laughing Rana, and a greatly amused Luda to the people within. "We need a healer and two baths!"

Talo had jumped when the door opened. He had been playing with wooden blocks, building a castle. "I'll go get Mr. Renado. You guys look terrible."

Rana sagged into a bench. "It's been a long day."

"I'll get the baths ready," Luda said, pushing past Link. "You certainly need it." He flushed, though he knew it was more than true.

Two hours later, they had both bathed, eaten, and were wearing borrowed clothes while their own clothes dried. Rana was so skinny she fit into one of Luda's dresses.

"You look pretty," Navi said when she saw her, and Link nodded. He didn't know who his clothes belonged to, and didn't want to ask in case they belonged to someone he knew who was dead.

"Thanks," Rana said. "And you look nice too! Were we going to talk to Midna?"

"Let's go outside somewhere," Link said.

He led them to the Spirit's Spring. They could sit around the edge.

He had just made himself comfortable when he heard a whisper from the pool. "Link…"

"Huh?"

"In the north, past the plains and the great bridge, in the lands guarded by the spirit Lanayru, you shall find one whom you seek."

"Ilia? Do you mean Ilia?"

But the Spirit was silent.

"He must mean Ilia," Navi said confidently. "I guess he got in touch with the spirit Lanayru? That is so good to know. You can stop stressing now."

Link shook his head. "First I have to find her. Then I have to make sure she's safe. Then I have to make sure that Lanayru Province is safe. Or maybe that comes along with the previous part. Then I have to rescue Zelda. Then we have to defeat Zant. I still have a long list of things to do."

"But you can stop worrying that she's been eaten by a grue," Navi pointed out. "That has to count for something."

He nodded. "Yes, I guess it does." He paused. "Midna, are you there?"

Midna popped out of the ground at his feet, looking grouchy. "What do you want?"

"What are the Fused Shadows?"

"They're the goal of our expedition."

"No, it's not," Navi said. "We're trying to rescue Zelda."

"Why? She doesn't have the power to defeat Zant."

"Because she's in danger? If Zelda dies, Hyrule is going to be in super-big trouble," Navi told her. "You're new in Hyrule, aren't you?"

"Easy, Navi," Link said. "Midna, what do the Fused Shadows do?"

"I'm not sure you would understand even if I told you," Midna said, and floated up with her back to him, obviously offended.

"Come on, I've faced strange magic before. Do they only grant power, or do they have other benefits as well? They obviously corrupt the Light…"

"Your pretty little Light and its creatures only get corrupted because they're nothing to do with the Twilight. If a Twilight creature used, it…" Midna broke off into a gleeful chuckle. "Let's just say that there won't be much left of Zant when I'm done with him."

"So who are you?" Rana asked. "You're from the Twilight, right?"

"Yes, Captain Obvious," Midna answered, and sighed. "More than that you really don't need to know. You lot have all been very helpful, and I do appreciate it. When things re-assume their rightful state, I will thank you all properly. Even you, rude fairy."

Navi huffed. "Well, thank you, Miss Mystery."

"Easy, Navi," Link said again. "She helped me lift the Twilight on this place, and on Faron Province, as well. She's a good fighter, even though it's all completely unconventional."

"Since when have you been conventional?" Navi said, and flew down the back of his shirt.

"Navi, what's gotten in to you?" Rana asked. "Are you… jealous?"

Navi peeked out again. "So what if I am? I'm not allowed to go help Link in the Twilight, because I'm a fairy and you _know_ fairy magic is way over on the Light side of the spectrum, and this grouchy lady with a superiority complex does get to go with him!"

Link blinked. "She's never been like this before, I swear."

Midna rolled her eyes. "I get that a lot."

"Navi, if it helps… I don't get to go with him, either…"

"Yes, but I've been with him for ten straight years, through thick and thin, and… gah! This is really annoying!"

"It's not Rana's fault she couldn't come those ten years," began Naeri.

"I know, I know. I'm not saying anything about that… I just…"

"Midna, there really isn't any way for me to come in the Twilight, is there?" Rana asked. "There's no… I don't know… a talisman or anything that you know of?"

Midna shrugged. "Not that I know of. Well…" She considered. "I once heard a legend of such a thing, but I haven't the least clue where to find it, and it's probably in the Twilight World, where you can't come. Anyway, I don't know why any of you are freaking out. It won't take us long to lift the Twilight, and then you can all go back to being groupies, so just relax!"

Link thought Navi was going to launch herself at the imp girl and put up a hand hastily. "Okay, please, let's all calm down. We're all equals here."

"Well, Midna doesn't do that much," Rana said, and Navi bobbed in agreement.

"I don't have to," Midna sniped back. "It's not my job."

"Guys!" Link said, and waved his arms. "Please. I like all of you, not that it seems to matter. We all have a part to play, and fighting about it isn't going to help anyone. I just wanted to know more about these Fused Shadow things. I don't want to have to stop you if you go crazy with them, Midna."

She nodded. "That's fair. I won't, though. They are of my people. I am the only one who _can_ control them."

"Then why didn't you just say so?" Rana mumbled, but subsided after Link gave her a look.

"We're all going to work together," Link said. "I know none of us have had a normal upbringing, but please, let's try to act more like adults, okay?"

Navi fluttered away, and he knew she was sulking. It hurt him; she really was his best friend, his support, his guardian. They hadn't really had a serious fight before. He knew they would be together again soon, and everything would be normal eventually, but it still hurt.

Rana he couldn't read, and that scared him almost as much. She just stared at him, and he stared back. Naeri was sitting on her ear, and looked as confused as he did.

"Really?" he asked. "We're going to all lose our heads over this. Really?"

And everyone else flounced away from him.

He went to bed alone and woke up alone.

.

He collected his things quietly from where they were drying and dressed. He wanted to be away before he saw anyone.

It was not to be. Colin stopped him at the door, but that was all right. He hadn't fought with Colin. The colour was back in his face, although he still looked terribly fragile. His cast was in a sling. "Link… you're going to save Ilia now, right? I hope she's all right. Those monsters left me and the other kids here, but they must have taken her somewhere else." He hesitated. "Whenever I thought I couldn't go on, that it would be easiest to give up and let something… get me, I thought of you and Ilia." He pulled himself upright with an effort. "See? I'm fine now. I know how to be brave. Just like you. So you can go find Ilia without worrying about me at all!"

Renado entered the room behind Colin. "I will protect all the children. You have my word. Go to those who need you." He bowed. "I have studied the ancient legends of the Hero, and you could be any one of them. May the grace of the Goddesses bear you on your way." Colin glanced up and bowed too.

Link nodded, although his heart still felt turbulent and not full of grace at all. "Thank you, Renado. It means a lot to me."

.

He took Epona north to the bridge; it would save him an hour or two rather than walking. She could make her own way back to Kakariko.

It felt strange, almost naked, to be in human form and not have Navi around. He had done it before while on adventures, but always because they had been kept apart, not by choice.

Well, he would see her soon. After he banished the last of the Twilight and the others had a chance to calm down.

He didn't think Midna was so bad. She might not show it in front of the others, but he guessed that she was not having an easy time adjusting to living in a world under Light and was just putting up a tough front for everyone. He wondered where she came from, and if she was planning to stay in Hyrule afterwards, and if he could show her that Light wasn't all that bad.

Of course, she probably wanted to show him that Twilight wasn't all that bad. But so far his experiences in that were not positive. And perhaps her experiences in Light weren't positive for her.

They'd figure it out.

He stopped at the wall of Twilight, ignoring the death moans of the Bokoblins who had dared chase him there. …If Navi had been with him, she could have escorted Epona back to Kakariko…

"Go on, Epona, go to Kakariko. Go back to Rana. Okay?" She snorted and nosed his face, which made him grin. Then she flicked around and cantered away southwards.

Midna popped out of the ground. "Ready to come into the Twilight?"

He nodded. "Thanks, Midna."

She paused, stared at him, and shrugged. "It's nothing, really. Come on."

She floated back through the wall, and her hair dragged him through.

.

The road narrowed to a rocky trail through the foothills, heading north and west. Link padded along, surefooted, pausing only to snuff for monsters now and then. Midna was quiet for the first part of their journey, not even yawning at him to make him go faster.

Then he came across something half-buried in the gravel on the side of the road. Something small, made of leather… and belonging to Ilia.

How long it had lain there, he couldn't guess. The wind and rain had stolen most of its scent, but he could still detect a faint trail, behind him and before him.

Midna finally spoke. "You sense that girl, don't you?"

He nodded.

"I can see it in your face. Well, well, go find her! Quickly, now!"

He glanced back at her momentarily, but he looked back over his left shoulder and her helmet covered her face on that side of her head. She nudged him with her knees and he jumped forward, tearing down the road.

They came out of the foothills a short way away from the castle town.

"It's so pretty," Midna said. "Especially under Twilight. I wish the Goddesses did things like that for _my_ people." She sounded regretful rather than spiteful, and he glanced at her again. He still thought the world under Twilight was eerie, and the monsters a lot more disturbing than necessary. But he could empathize with the regret in her voice.

"Perhaps we'll be able to visit Zelda, and let her know that everything is going well," she continued. "Your friends are important to you, I can tell. These two ladies, Zelda and the kidnapped girl, you're right – we have to keep them safe." She smirked. "I don't care if you think of me as a friend. I'm just here to destroy Zant and take back what is mine. But you're so earnest… you're quite the example to live up to."

He was starting to think of her as a friend. She was prickly, but a good person, he guessed.

He trotted down into the valley, headed for the gate. It was closed, but Ilia's trail went straight there, joined at some point by another scent, one he couldn't identify. There were monsters around, but he slunk past them all and headed for the gate. Perhaps…

He scrambled up and managed to balance on the chain. Now if he could just make it across the moat without falling in…

"Here," Midna said, and her hair looped below them, creating a new centre of gravity, and suddenly it was much easier to walk along the chain.

He dropped down inside the city and became aware that there were crowds of ghosts everywhere. It was just as busy as when he was a boy. That was encouraging. When they got rid of Zant, it would be like the last ten years hadn't even happened. Except for all those who were gone, and the scars the survivors carried. Well, it would be the same superficially, at least.

He wasn't sure he could follow Ilia's trail in here, not among a thousand other humans each with their own scent. The other scent, though, was somehow easier to smell by contrast. It was rather fishy, or not so much fishy as reminding him of cold streams and water flowers.

A Zora. She had fallen in with a Zora. Link smiled. She would be all right then. The Zoras were capable people, friendly and laid-back.

He followed the Zora's trail to a quiet part of town, and to a bar tucked away in a cul-de-sac. The sign outside read "Telma's Pub". He sniffed one more time to make sure that Ilia was still there, too, and pawed open the door and slipped inside.

The first thing he saw was a large woman, with her back to him. The pub was low-roofed and homely, a pleasant place for people to congregate after work, he supposed. But it was nearly empty, except for some nervous looking soldiers in the back room, pointing agitatedly at the table.

He moved around the woman and saw Ilia, hunched over on a small box, watching a young Zora boy sleep. He started forward, but remembered in time that not only was he a wolf, he was also invisible to these people.

Ilia turned to the woman. "Are you sure we can't do anything more for him?"

"Calm down, little lady," the woman answered. Link wondered if she was named Telma. "I just now sent for the doctor. There's nothing more we can do until he gets here. I've never had Zoras before!"

Ilia patted the boy's hand. "It's all right, sir. We're doing everything we can." The Zora made no sign, not even a twitch.

"That's too bad," Midna said. "Do you know anything about helping Zoras? Somehow I think the doctor here won't be much help." He shrugged as well as he was able to. "Maybe? It's a start, anyway. We'd better get out there and lift the Twilight."

"I wonder what a Zora boy was doing out here on his own, anyway," the woman said, moving over a stool and sitting down next to Ilia. "I wonder if it's related to anything those soldiers in back are babbling about?"

Link was gone in a flash, over to the back of the bar where the soldiers were huddled around the table.

"We have to find out why the lake's dropped!" the captain of the soldiers growled. "Orders from above! So don't go thinking we can back out on this. The citizens need to send their prayers to the Goddesses! And if the water's dropped… they can't get to the shrine!"

Link put both paws on the table so he could see the map. There was Lake Hylia, further north than he remembered, and there was a big X in black ink beside the words Spirit's Spring. He looked at it further, figuring out his route.

"You done yet?" Midna demanded. "Come on, no time to waste! We must reunite this girl and her wolf!" She giggled, but he thought it was more at her little joke than at him.

He jumped down, turned, and started. There was a fluffy white cat sitting on the bar, staring right at him. He blinked and shook himself. Of course the cat wasn't actually staring at him. But didn't cats have a sense for magic? Perhaps it sort of knew, but not really.

The door blew open, from where he had left it open, and he ran for it, ducking under Telma's arm as she went to close it. Midna ducked, too.

.

Their trip to the lake was reasonably uneventful. It seemed closer than Link remember it, because he didn't think they were half-way into their journey when he came out of a small forest and found himself in a wide open space. Golden clouds scudded across the black sky in a wind unfelt on the ground below, and the black specks that rose from the ground were thick as soot in the air.

There was a huge bridge, crossing the entire lake, and below was a huge muddy pit with a tiny pool of water at the bottom. Link stared at it. It wasn't the first time he had seen Lake Hylia magically depleted. But it was rather upsetting all the same.

And this time he wouldn't have Sheik to fill him in on things.

He caught sight of some kind of shrine on the far shore of the lake, a dark opening framed by snake statues under the far end of the bridge, and made for the bridge. There must be some kind of path to get down on the other side. Perhaps on the close side as well, but that mud did not look inviting.

The bridge was all black and sticky, but he thought that it was just a side-effect of being in the Twilight. Things looked different here, of course. That was, until a small creature with a bow and a flaming arrow stepped out onto the bridge ahead of him, and fired an arrow far over his head and into the far end of the bridge.

It began to burn. The black substance was tar. Link sprang forward, but the creature fired its own side of the bridge.

"We're trapped!" Midna cried, and for the first time Link thought he could hear a trace of fear in her voice. "Get us out of here!"

He leaped for the wall of the bridge, scrabbled over it, checked for water below them, and jumped.

.

Author's note: Can you guess what talisman Midna is talking about that protects against the Twilight? ;)


	8. Chapter 8: Bad Timing

Chapter 8: Bad Timing

.

Link flailed with all four paws at the air as he and Midna fell together to what was left of the lake beneath them. Then he managed to get straightened out to dive properly.

They plunged into the water like a knife, and he paddled frantically to reach the surface again. He could see the Water Temple entrance, and thanked Nayru he wasn't going in there. At least, not yet.

He looked up to the cliff face above him. "I don't think we're making it to the shrine from here," Midna said, following his gaze. "We're going to need some help."

What was with the water level? Back when Ganondorf ruled, the lake had sunk because Zora's Domain was frozen. Had something like that happened again?

Well, he certainly wasn't making it up to Zora's Domain from here. He wasn't even sure where the secret passage was anymore.

"Look out!" Midna cried, as he crawled onto shore and shook the water from his fur. He jumped away, but not in time. Large claws clamped onto his body and raised him, struggling, into the air, before casting him back down to the ground. He tumbled for a few metres before climbing to his feet and looking to see what had attacked him.

It was a bird, like the kind that had attacked him at Hyrule Castle, but it was being ridden by a Twilight Bokoblin. He growled.

"We can use this," Midna said. "I'll grab the bird, and you knock off the rider!"

He nodded, and dodged a pair of fire arrows. The bird swooped in, and he jumped back. Midna grabbed at it, but missed.

He had to dance around for a few minutes while the Bokoblin shot arrows at him. One grazed his shoulder, and he yelped. Fortunately, there didn't seem to be any other monsters sneaking up on him at all.

Midna finally got a hold on the bird's claws. "Now! Go for it!" He launched himself upwards, as high as he could jump, and found himself clinging to the bird's shoulder with his teeth. He met the gaze of the warped Bokoblin for a second before he kicked, trying to get further up.

He lost his grip and fell back to the muddy lake bottom, but so did the Bokoblin. Link was on it in a flash.

Midna had floated up to the bird's back, and was now sitting on it the way she sat on him. "Hey! Stop that squawking! I'm your new master now. That means you do what I say and I don't hurt you, got it?" Well she had spoken to him considerably more gently when they met. That was probably a good sign.

The bird quieted down and let Midna fly it in a circle. "Hey, Hero-boy, want a lift up the cliff?"

He nodded, and Midna's mount seized him in its claws again. She deposited him at the shrine. "I'll just circle around the lake until you're ready to go somewhere else, okay?"

He nodded again and entered the shrine, shaking more of the mud off his fur.

The shrine was dark and quiet. "Hero…" a weak whisper came out of the pool. "Hero, you must restore Zora's Domain. Follow… the dead river… Find my Light…"

He yipped in answer, and ran out to the Lake again.

Midna was just coming back. "That didn't take long. You need more flying?"

He nodded vigorously. Where was the dead river?

The bird grabbed him up again. "Just show me where to go."

The sensation was a little bit like hang-gliding, but it wasn't his own weight directing them. He saw where the river normally poured into the lake and leaned towards it. After a few moments, the bird followed suit. "We're going up the river, right? All the way up? Bark once for yes, twice for no." He barked once and settled down for the flight.

Midna was pretty good at steering them up the canyon. Bokoblins were burrowing on its sides, and they shot at the bird, but missed. Link looked around at the river. When there was water in it, it must be fast and noisy, the same as the one that looped around the other side of Hyrule. He had never seen the whole thing. He abruptly wondered if the rivers came from the same source and just made a complete loop of Hyrule before both ending in Lake Hylia. He wouldn't be surprised.

The air was blowing cold, and Link's suspicions were sharpening. They were confirmed when they came out into an open space, a familiar rocky bowl, and saw a huge frozen waterfall.

"Down here?" Midna asked, and Link barked once. He tumbled a little roughly to the ice below and Midna thumped into his back a moment later. The bird, freed, flew off into the purple-black sky.

"Huh," his rider said. "I guess this makes sense. Not what I was expecting, though. Lead the way, Hero-boy! I'm assuming you know this place better than I do."

He did know it pretty well, and was soon climbing the cliff face to reach the tunnel. The frozen ice helped him in its own way. It was slippery but provided ledges that he sorely needed to climb higher.

He pulled himself up into the tunnel and trotted forward, his tail low at the thought that the Zoras had suffered this misfortune yet again.

"Hero!" came another ghostly whisper, and he looked up to see a ghost. But there was something different about this one. It was a female Zora, wearing many ornaments and a sweeping dress. He didn't recognize her, but she looked a bit like Ruto. Except she didn't look like a Twilight ghost. She looked more like a spirit. She led them up the stairs, past the throne, and out into Zora's Fountain, where she turned to them with ghostly tears in her eyes.

"Hear me, please! In life I was Rutela, wife of King Zora and mother of Ruto and Ralis. I know you have met them. When the evil one, Zant, came to demand our surrender, I sent my son to beg for help from Hyrule Castle. Zant beheaded me in front of my people and froze them in ice again. From my unquiet place on the edge of death, I have seen my son's bodyguard destroyed, and Ralis is ill, still alive only by the kindness of one of your people." She clasped her hands. "Please, help us!"

"I'm sure we'll do all we can, lady," Midna said. "Though it's not polite to ignore people, particularly if they're currently capable of talking." Link snorted.

"I apologize, Twilight one," Rutela said. "I only know of the Hero, although we never met."

"How's that? You may call me Midna, while we're at it."

"While my husband, King Zora, was alive, I was often away on diplomatic business. My husband, despite our best healers, died soon after the curse was lifted from Zora's Domain three years ago, and I was left to rule in his stead. My daughter has vanished, but before she did, she told me of the Hero's valiance in the Water Temple."

Ruto was missing? Darunia was on a journey… At least Saria was still safe. Link wondered where the other Sages were, Impa, Nabooru, and Rauru, and if he really was correct that Zant had no interest in the Triforce.

"All right, so what do you want us to do first?" Midna asked Rutela, and Link fixed the dead Queen with an expectant look, because that was a very good question.

Rutela waved vaguely at the frozen state of Zora's Domain. "Can you not melt the ice?"

Link's ears twitched, and he did his best to communicate his thoughts on that suggestion to Midna.

"We could bring over something from Death Mountain," Midna said thoughtfully. "I have the power to do that. But wouldn't a sudden change in temperature harm your people?"

"I don't know. But… perhaps I could use the last of my power… to shield them. Please, do it."

"Wanna do it?" Midna asked Link, patting his shoulder. He nodded and barked. "Right, here goes. We'll be back in a little while." Link felt a tug on the top of his head, and felt that strange teleporting sensation again.

They coalesced near the top of Death Mountain, looking down on Goron City. "All right," Midna said, transparent again, and hiding from the sun beneath his body. "We need a rock that's still fairly solid, so I can still carry it, but that's been spit out of the mountain recently, so it's still hot enough… Although, anything just lying around here would probably be hot enough, pouf… Whoa! You see one?"

Link saw one, and his ears were pointed forward as he padded as close as he could to it. Heat radiated off it in waves, and his fur was drying rapidly. The mud was starting to mat in it, and it itched. He sat down for a moment and scratched at his side.

"Hey, what are you sitting around for? This looks like a good rock. Good job. I'll just take care of that!" She flew up into the air, and with some effort, raised her hands skyward. The rock evaporated at her gesture into black squares that flew up into the blue sky, and Link felt himself following.

He came back down on a ledge on one side of Zora's Fountain, and saw the rock falling like a blazing meteor into the centre of the pool. The ice hissed as it vaporized and great billows of steam went up. There was a series of deafening cracks, and Link heard a roar as the Falls began to move again.

In only a few minutes, water was lapping the edge of the island on which he stood, covered only with thin flakes of ice. The water was still icy cold, but at least it was water now and not ice.

Midna floated down beside him. "Eeeheehee, that was fun! I bet the Lake's full of water, now. We should do that Light-restoring thing you like to do now. What else was it we had to do? Help Prince Ralis? I still think you'd be better able to help in human form."

Link dipped a toe in the water. It was very cold. Even with his fur, he wasn't looking forward to swimming across it.

Midna sighed. "It's just water, you big baby." She jumped on his back and kicked him forward. He entered reluctantly and swam over to the entrance to the throne room.

Zora's Domain was now full of ghostly Zoras, flopped around on rocky ledges, breathing hard. There was a rising sound of anxious chatter. "Dude, did you see what happened?" "No, did you?" "I've never been so cold in my life." "That's because you were one of the first ones out the last time it happened." "Shut up." "Dude, just saying." "Who's going to lead us? Our whole Royal Family's dead." "No, the Prince isn't…" "He may as well be, lost out in the wilds of Hyrule. You can bet he never made it to Princess Zelda." "Yeah, no help for us."

"Guys, no, seriously, we can get through this." Link started, for the Zora who had spoken looked familiar. He was sitting propped up on one arm. "I bet the Prince is still rocking somewhere out there. We just have to be patient. And we can clean this place up for when he gets back, no? And maybe set up some defences in case that jerk-face comes back?"

"You're such an optimist, Bitu," said another, and Link snuffed. Of course, Bitu was Shoza's friend. So where was Shoza? He liked Ruto. Was he with her?

"You never met my buddy Shoza, did you?" Bitu returned, crawling to his feet. "Oh, geez, I need a nap."

"Haven't you had enough sleep the last few days?"

"Forced cryogenic suspended animation does not count as sleep! And my bones hurt. Anybody know where we can get some blue fire?"

"Friend of yours?" Midna asked, watching the exchange with interest. "What odd people!"

Link snorted a laugh and nodded. It was probably time to go, anyway, so he turned to the tunnel and jumped out into the river.

The river was still freezing, and very swift. He quickly lost control and concentrated on keeping his head above water, but then he was buffeted against the side of a cliff. He missed the place where he usually climbed out, and lost consciousness.

.

He regained it sprawled on some stone steps. Midna's magic hand was clamped around him, dragging him out of the water. He staggered to his feet and shook himself. He was very cold and the Lake was dark under the Twilight, though the sky was now glowing a sort of flaxen colour.

"Hey," Midna said. "You all right?"

He shook himself again and sneezed.

"You're all wet. Yuck. But you're still alive. How you feeling?" He padded to the side of the steps and curled up, resting his nose on his tail. "Need a rest?" He sneezed again and nodded. Water was coming out of his nose. Gross.

He wasn't sure how long he slept, but it couldn't have been more than a few hours. He cleaned up most of the stray bits of Light around Lanayru Province when he woke, but there was one in the Lake somewhere, right under his nose, and he wasn't finding it…

He was paddling right out in the middle of the Lake, peering under the water in a futile attempt to see anything at all. It was pretty murky, and he hoped it was more the force of the sudden flood from Zora's Fountain had stirred up a lot of mud, or that it was an effect of Twilight rather than a problem with the water.

His only warning was a buzz and a splash, and he looked up in time to see a wake leading straight at him. He was knocked sideways by something invisible and prickly.

He howled in pain and tried to swim for the closest bit of debris he could find. The invisible thing was charging him again and he tried to dive to avoid it. He couldn't move very fast through the water. It struck him side-on again and he whimpered.

"Come on!" Midna yelled at him. "You're almost there!" He reached the debris, the remains of a wooden bridge, and scrambled out on it, dripping. All he could hear was a malevolent buzz, but he couldn't tell from which direction it was coming. He crouched, snarling with his ears back, ready for it to come back.

There was a trough carving through the water to his left, and he waited for it to get a bit closer… then he pounced.

He landed on something hard and plated and vibrating. He scratched at it, found a softer part that tore under his claws, and fell off into the water. He emerged again, squirted a stream of water in the air, and paddled as fast as he could for his bridge.

He could see something faintly now, a giant transparent purple insect. Perhaps it became visible when it was wounded? Its front end was festooned with legs and claws, but its eyes were there as well. Maybe he could tear out its eyes and then it would be easier to kill. He wished to be human with his sword in hand, or with his bow. Or a bomb.

It charged him again, and before it reached him, it heaved itself up in the air and swung its blobby, sack-like abdomen at him. He dodged back and his back legs slipped into the water. Hastily, he pulled himself up and lunged for it. He clamped onto it with his jaws and clawed at it, tearing long gouges in its soft belly until it managed to throw him off into the water. When he looked around, it was a lot more solid than it had appeared at first. So his hypothesis was correct. It would probably be completely solid by the time he killed it.

It was moving slower now, and the buzz it was making had strange harmonics in it. Encouraged, he swam after it, trying to latch on to its abdomen. He was surprised with it thumped the water with its abdomen, knocking him away with little waves. He went back to his bridge and waited for his chance.

Midna had spent most of the fight just clinging to his back, but as he paused on the floating platform, he saw her hair unfurl into the large hand she used for grabbing things. He must have been moving too erratically for her to do it before.

The bug charged, and Midna grabbed it, swinging herself and Link over its head onto its back. He found the joint where the head met the body and chewed on it until it broke.

They fell in the water in a thrashing pile of bug parts, but a drop of Light popped out of the bug and Link caught it. Finally, his task here was done. He sucked in some lakewater and swished it around his mouth. He hated the taste of bugs. Yet another reason he preferred being a human, then he didn't have to put his enemies in his mouth to hurt them.

He paddled over to the Spirit's Spring and climbed out, soggily, before going inside. He was bleeding from a deep cut in his side, one he hadn't noticed until now. He supposed it was from the bug.

"I'll see you around?" Midna said, pausing at the door. He turned to look at her and grinned. "Right, then. Have fun. Don't forget about that Fused Shadow!" She tumbled away, sank into the ground and vanished from his sight.

The Spirit rose from the pool to meet him in the form of a water-snake as he changed from a wolf back into a man. "Well done, Hero. My name is Lanayru. The Twilight has been eradicated from Hyrule. But your task is not yet over."

"Your companion's intentions are true. You will never defeat Zant without a greater power than you now possess, and the Fused Shadow that she wields is the best hope for Hyrule. But before you seek its final piece, you must bear witness to something… and never forget it."

"You must know why this power was locked away by the Goddesses, why this hour is even more desperate than you know that you can even think of turning to such a thing as the Fused Shadow."

"You know how the Goddesses created Hyrule and returned to the heavens, leaving behind only the Triforce as both our protection and our vulnerability." Link blinked and looked around. He was in a great black void, with a vision of the Triforce on a green hill before him and three lights, red, blue, and green, vanishing upwards. It was so beautiful; he had never seen anything more beautiful. He heard a sweet laugh and saw Rana beside him. He grinned at her, happy that she was sharing this with him.

Lanayru continued. "For ages the people dwelt in peace. Each time evil threatened the Triforce, always a Hero and a Spirit Maiden rose to protect it. The Spirit Maiden's line has become the line of the Royal Family, as no doubt you guessed. But one time… Civil war split the land."

Rana, her eyes white and blank, lunged at him with a fierce cry with her sword. His sword was in his hand, and passed through her body like water. She fell to the invisible ground and faded into nothing. And he was running, running, sword still firmly grasped in his hand, towards the golden, shining Triforce.

"A dark tribe of interlopers appeared," said Lanayru, as he saw three dark-clad figures standing between him and the Triforce. "They were skilled in sorcery and tried to seize the Triforce with evil magics." A giant, terrifying thing rose from the ground between the figures and the Triforce, covering its light, and he recognized the thing instantly as Midna's helmet. "The Hero fought valiantly against the dark ones. But in the end he was defeated and slain." The figures raised their hands to cast some spell, and Link flinched before he felt himself blown away into nothingness.

But he was still watching, only now his view was from one of the dark figures. "Yet his sacrifice was not for nothing. He had joined our power to his and taken up the Master Sword, and with this, he was able to make a crack in the Fused Shadow. Even as he fell, we three Light Spirits were able to intervene and shatter the Fused Shadow, though we could not destroy it wholly." And the green hill was empty, no Triforce, no Fused Shadow, no dark figures. "Instead, we each took a piece to guard secretly with our power, until Zant's assault on us activated the pieces once more. The Shadow Tribe must have retained a fourth piece when they were banished from this world."

"Beware this magic," Lanayru's voice droned on. "Those who do not know the danger of wielding power will, before long, be ruled by it. It will twist your mind to its will."

A thousand copies of Rana, Ilia, Zelda tumbled before his eyes in the void, laughing innocently. He smiled vaguely. It was nice they were happy… happy for the power he held… the power he could hold over _them_ … and all of Hyrule…

His eyes snapped open in horror. The Spirit's Spring was silent and empty and his wounds were healed. _Was that the power of the Fused Shadow?_ He glanced at his left hand. _Not even the Triforce of Courage helped with such a thing?_ He would have to guard carefully against its temptation. Never again did he want to have a vision like that.

The full impact of what he had just seen hit him in the chest like a physical blow, and he fell to his knees, tears starting in his eyes. If he were to fall to the Fused Shadow, Hyrule would be in worse danger than it ever could be from Zant. Everyone he knew and loved, who still lived, at least, would die, and probably by his hand.

Was that the part of the vision with Rana? Had the past Hero been forced to kill the woman he loved? Never mind the part that he wasn't sure where he and Rana stood anymore. But the Hero had still been on the side of the Triforce. Had the woman he loved fallen to evil?

If he fell to evil, Rana would be forced to kill him. Rana and Zelda and Navi. He would break their hearts.

He couldn't let that happen. His hands curled into fists, and he got to his feet with determination. He would help Midna get her Fused Shadow, but for himself he would only fight with the power of the Triforce. He would protect Hyrule from Zant, not endanger it further.

.

It was mid-morning by the time he emerged from the Spirit's Spring and saw Lake Hylia placid and blue and beautiful, but it took him most of the day to go back to Hyrule Castle Town.

The drawbridge was down, which he took as a good sign. Music was playing, and the air was generally festive.

He tapped a guard on the shoulder. "What's the occasion?"

"Well, it's the Princess's birthday tomorrow, and, well, haha, we just felt like it. There's been a bad feeling in the air the whole last week, you know? So today, with the sun shining and all, I guess everyone just feels happy! Although…" he lowered his voice. "No one's seen the Princess in a week, either. I hope she's just busy with preparations for her party, and not, y'know, sick or anything. Castle's been locked tight, too. I bet it's a party."

"I see," Link said. "Good day to you, then."

"And to you, sir!"

He made his way quickly to Telma's, hoping to find Ralis still breathing. As he opened the door, he was bumped roughly by a small, elderly man with huge eyeglasses.

"Zoras are not my area of expertise!" the man snapped, glaring back at Ilia and Telma. He turned and saw Link, and shouldered roughly past him to get out the door with a humph.

"Yeah, fine, so we'll do without you!" Telma barked at the door as the doctor slammed it behind him. Her gaze passed over Link without interest and returned to Ilia, who was staring at Ralis with an expression of despair. "Now don't fret, honey. There's always another option. I didn't want to suggest this one, because it involves quite a bit of travel. But there's a shaman in Kakariko Village – my ex-husband, actually – and he'll know what to do. Very talented man, that Renado."

Ilia looked up. "Let's take him there immediately! You said earlier you have a cart, right?"

"Ahem!" Telma and Ilia were interrupted, and looked over to see the soldiers who had been in back earlier, all lined up and brandishing their spears. "Now, not to put a wet blanket on things, but that's a very dangerous trip! But now that our investigation has been stalled, we're off duty, and we'll gladly offer our services as an escort! Right, boys? We can't leave a pretty lady in trouble!"

They began to cheer and pat each other on the back.

Telma smiled with amusement. "Well, isn't that nice, honey? These brave soldiers will protect us from all the monsters out there. I've been told there are so many out on Hyrule Field, it doesn't even bear thinking about! All those sharp teeth and claws and nasty crude weapons! But we'll be safe now."

She turned back with a smirk to the soldiers, and found four of them had tiptoed out the door while she was talking to Ilia. The fifth quaked for a moment, looked to his fellows for support… and didn't find them. He squawked and bolted for the door.

"And don't come back!" Telma growled at his retreating back. "Huh, the state of the Royal Army, these days… I remember back before Ganondorf was around… Well, there were blockheads then, too. But listen to me, I sound like an old lady." Her gaze settled on Link again, appraisingly this time. He was staring at Ilia, wondering why she wouldn't look at him. "Well, look, honey, there's a swordsman still willing to help us. And our wandering swordgirl, too!"

Link blinked and looked around. Rana had snuck up behind him, with a pair of fairies. She gave him a sheepish little apologetic smile and he smiled back.

"Link, this is Telma, the owner of this bar. She's a wonderful lady and super nice and helpful. Telma, this is Link, the Hero of Time, so of course he'll be willing to help you and…"

"Ilia," Link finished. "And Ralis." He stepped forward. "Are you all right, Ilia?"

She started and looked at him. "Who are you? How do you know my name?"

He blinked. He wouldn't have thought he looked so different in his adventuring clothes. "I'm… well, you knew me as Green. I took a false name when I lived in Ordon because… well, I had some issues. But anyway, I'm back in Hyrule now, and…" He trailed off when it became obvious that she had no idea what he was talking about. "Are you all right?" he asked again.

"Poor girl's lost her memory," Telma said. "She could barely remember her own name when she arrived here, dragging this boy. She found him collapsed in the road. Such a selfless girl! I take it you know her?"

"I lived in her village for some months. Her father will be very happy to know she's safe…"

Ilia was staring listlessly at Link. "I'm very sorry, Mr. Link. I really can't remember you. Or… did you call it Ordon? It's a place, right?"

Telma moved in and hugged her. "There, there. It'll sort itself out eventually. Now, let's go get the horse ready. We need to get this boy to Renado by tomorrow. I don't think he'll last much longer. Is that all right with you, Link, Rana?"

Link nodded. "The sooner, the better. He's Prince Ralis, the last surviving member of the Zora Royal Family."

Rana stepped up beside him. "What about Queen Rutela and Ruto? I know Ruto's missing, but…"

"Obviously you've been learning a lot of things," Navi said. "Fill us in, please?"

"There's not much to fill in," Link said. "King Zora is dead, and has been for a while… Queen Rutela was killed by Zant, and her ghost appeared to me and asked me to protect Ralis. Ruto is missing, but I've been getting that feeling for a while now. Which reminds me. Rana, have you seen Impa or Nabooru or Rauru? Is Kakariko safe? Renado promised me he would look after the children, but I'd feel better if you were also guarding it."

"Impa I sometimes saw, so she's around," Rana replied. "I haven't seen Nabooru in a long time, but last time I did she said she was going to go back to the desert and lead her people in the way they should live. Rauru, I don't even know. But I've met his brother, Auru! Auru is pretty cool. You'll like him, I think. Kakariko's all right for now. But I can look after it if you're worried."

"That's good to know. I was getting worried, wondering if this was a more subtle attack on the Sages."

"I don't think so. Besides, Saria's fine. But next time I see Auru, I'll ask about Rauru. Oh, I brought Epona here for you." She fixed him with a glare. "You didn't even say goodbye. The first thing I knew you were gone was Epona coming back alone."

"Sorry," Link said. "I didn't think anyone wanted to say goodbye."

Navi nuzzled him. "You idiot. Just because none of us can come with you doesn't mean we don't want to see you off. And… if the… unthinkable… happened, none of us want our last memories of you to be a fight!"

Rana was staring at him with open hurt, and turned away a little, closing herself off from him. She gave a little frustrated sigh. "What is going on? You pull me close, and then you push me away. And you've been doing a lot more pushing away than pulling."

He sighed back and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't even know. Rana, believe me, I don't know how to interpret what I'm feeling. It just… doesn't feel right, somehow."

"Oh."

He ignored Navi, who was hissing "Just hug her!" in his ear. "Anyway, is this the right time to be having this discussion? The fate of Hyrule is hanging in the balance and if we're this distracted…"

"I'm not going to be any less distracted, but I'm fine!" Rana snapped. "I love you, you know that! I'm also perfectly competent and able to take care of myself, and help you!"

"But do you really?" he plunged on recklessly, subconscious thoughts forming themselves spontaneously into words. "We've shared a childhood and a grand total of two weeks as adults together. That's not a lot. We don't even really know each other."

She was shaking, with hurt or anger, he couldn't tell. "So our relationship is built on wishful thinking and air. So what? That doesn't exclude the possibility that we can have a good relationship…" Her voice shook and broke. She turned to him, her eyes bright with surprisingly unshed tears and a heart-breakingly hopeful smile. "We could start again, you know. Just be old friends and see where it goes."

"Shouldn't that wait until after Hyrule is safe?" Link said gently. "That doesn't sound terrible -"

"Doesn't sound terrible, does it? I'm so glad you think so highly of my ideas." She brushed past him hastily and began to head out the door.

"Rana! Wait!" And she waited, her back still to him. "I…" He took another deep breath. "I just don't think it's a good idea right now. It's too dangerous. I know you're a good fighter, a great fighter, even. I just don't think it's a good idea for us to be this emotionally messed up. At least, I know I'm messed up. I don't even know how I feel anymore, about you, about anything. And I don't want to go into anything I'm not sure about."

"Yeah," she said miserably. "That's fair. I'll be around if you need me."

"Rana," he called, even more gently, before she could go even further. "I want to protect you as much as anyone else in Hyrule. I don't want to hurt you. Please believe me."

"Yeah," she said again. Then she wasn't there anymore, Naeri tagging after her.

Navi let out a long breath and didn't say anything for a long time. He stood there, staring at the door, as if it would bring Rana – or at least answers – to him.

"Well," Navi said after at least a solid minute of silence. "That went well."

"What's wrong with me, Navi?"

"I don't know. But you have been acting weird for the last three years, so it's probably a more long-term thing. It's just never been a significant problem before."

"Thanks."

"Well, what did you want me to do about it? I couldn't stop the nightmares, but those seem to have gone away since you saw Rana again and realized you didn't actually want her."

"I don't… It's just… I…"

"Well, at least you're coherent about it," Navi snarked. "That's promising."

He looked sadly at his fairy. "Navi, I'm sorry for us getting in a fight… two days ago. Can you… please… be a little less sarcastic about everything? I… I could use your support."

She paused, and for a moment he thought she was going to make another crack at him. But instead she said, "All right. How was your adventure?"

"It was all right. Midna really improved. I think your comments made her realize that she should really be nicer to us. She doesn't want to seem like it, but she was supportive all the way through. Also, I need to tell you about the Fused Shadows."

"Oh, good, I was worrying about those."

"I'll tell you while I get Epona ready. Can you take me to her?"

"Yeah, follow me!"

.

Thirty minutes later, a small caravan was heading west out of Hyrule Castle Town. The road east among the mountain foothills was too rough for the cart, so they were taking the long way around Hyrule. Telma said it would take them the rest of the night, and had given Link a hot bitter drink that she said would keep him awake.

Telma was at the reins of a small cart with a canvas top, within which Ilia was sitting with the unconscious Ralis. Link rode alongside them, his sword loose in its sheath and Navi sitting on his head where she was supposed to be.

Partway on, he sent Navi ahead to scout, and she reported in great consternation that the great Moblin they had fought before was still alive and guarding the bridge across Lake Hylia. She hadn't seen Rana, and guessed that she had gone back by the eastern road.

"Ilia, honey, we've got a great guard," Telma said as they came to the forest before the bridge. "The Hero of Time himself! Even if you did remember the stories about this guy, they're well worth hearing again. And just look at his eyes, so proud and wild. He's like a fierce animal." Link snorted, because he was sure Telma had no idea how true her statement was. "Nothing will get close to us tonight, we can bet on that."

They came within sight of the bridge. "Telma, stay here for a bit," Link said. "There's a fierce enemy up ahead."

"All right, you go take care of him, dear," Telma said, and blew him a kiss.

He rode forward with Epona. They would have to do the same thing as last time, although the Moblin was sure to have repaired his armour and would guess at his strategy.

As his horse cantered onto the bridge, he saw the Moblin at the far end, and found his guess half right. The Moblin had not bothered to repair his armour; he had only added two gigantic shields to his outfit, one for each arm. He wasn't using his axe, but that really only meant that he was planning to run Link into the ground with his boar.

Link gritted his teeth. He would have to try it anyway. He urged Epona up to full speed, and shot towards the Moblin like a hawk on the attack.

Epona dodged the boar's tusks. His sword bounced harmlessly off the giant shield, and then it was coming at him, a giant solid wall of metal, and he slid off Epona from its impact and cracked his head on the stone of the bridge…


	9. Chapter 9: The Prince from Labrynna

Chapter 9: The Prince From Labrynna

.

He looked up from where he lay face-down on the ground to see a skeleton kneeling beside him. "Gah!"

The Hero from the past moved back. "I'm disappointed. Either you're supposed to recognize me as an enemy and cut me down immediately, or recognize me as someone you've met before and not make scared noises."

"I wasn't scared," Link said, picking himself up. "Why did you call me here now? I'm fighting a monster!"

"And you're not going to defeat him with your sword," the Hero said. "But this is as good a time as any for training. This is a spirit world. Trust me."

"I've been a wolf for more than a day…"

"That's fine. Show me how things have been coming before that."

He went with it, and the Hero from the past showed him how to leap on very tall opponents and strike at their helmets, making very potentially lethal blows.

"So… but I can't defeat my enemy with this?"

"If you want to jump on a charging boar and then use this move, be my guest," the Hero said, and Link might have said he winked one glowing blue eye. "But if I were you… I'd be looking at the rest of my arsenal…"

Link scrambled to his feet. Epona was prancing a meter or two in front of him, whinnying and putting her ears back. The rumble of hoofbeats reverberated along the bridge, and he turned to see the Moblin pulling his boar around for another pass.

"Navi! My bow, and then give me a good shot!"

"You got it!" Navi cried, and his bow appeared in his hand as his little fairy flew off to hover next to the Moblin's head. He waited, lining up his shot, and then fired. The arrow struck the Moblin square in the chest, and he lost control of his boar, which went careening off to the side of the bridge. It struck the wall of the bridge and tore a hole in the solid stone construction. Link heard two heavy splashes a few moments later.

He turned and remounted Epona. "Thanks, Navi."

"It worked!"

Telma came riding up. "Good job! I knew that thing would be no problem for you. Let's keep on. It's still a long way to Kakariko."

.

They were crossing the Field near Lon Lon Ranch when Link turned and looked back. There was some movement in the moonlight. "Navi, what does that look like to you?"

"It looks like… two people on horses, being chased by monsters."

"That's what I thought. It doesn't look like Rana or anyone from Lon Lon Ranch, either."

"They're coming up pretty fast. We'll have to fight off the monsters, I think, even if the horsemen don't want our help."

Link drew his sword. "Telma! Go on ahead. There's something we need to take care of."

"You got it, honey."

Link turned and waited for the horsemen to get closer. They were definitely human, although it was difficult to make out what they looked like in any detail.

"Please!" called one of them as they came within earshot. "Help us! He's hurt!"

"Help him!" called the other. "I don't matter, just make sure he lives!"

"Hold on," Link called back. "If you can make it to the cart up there, you'll be fine. Navi, let's go."

The swarm of monsters was mostly Bokoblins on boars, firing flaming arrows at the fleeing pair. Link grimaced. If any of those arrows touched the cart, its occupants would be toast. There were also some dangerous-looking birds with hooked beaks and talons. One of them stooped on the rider further back, and he cried out in pain.

"Jakob!" cried the other rider, and Link's own arrow was already on its way, sending death to the bird.

"Keep going, sir… Don't worry about me!"

"Come on," Link shouted. "I'll keep the Bokoblins off you." There were too many Bokoblins, and they were making a racket. Every monster in Hyrule Field would be on them. At least he hadn't seen many Stalchildren yet. Or at all. He charged into the middle of the pack, scattering them, slicing indiscriminately with his sword. He killed a few and dismembered a few more. An arrow grazed Epona's flank and she neighed shrilly, but their boars avoided running into her.

He was getting a bit far from the cart, and the monsters were getting past him. "Come on, Epona, fly. We have to catch them!"

One of the horsemen had paused, which meant that the other one, the injured one, had stopped as well. "Please, sir! Just keep going! The knight is doing all he can!"

"I can help him!" the other said, and the moon glittered on a slim sword. He batted away an arrow headed in his direction, standing his ground. A boar rode by him, close enough that Link shuddered in fear for the horse's knees, but the Bokoblins riding the boar fell to the ground. The other man had a lance in his hand, but the way he held it, it wasn't going to do him much good.

"Come on," Link said again, riding past the horsemen. "Don't stop now! We're almost at the village!" To his relief, the bold horseman turned and urged his tired horse onward, and the other followed him.

Link circled around again, keeping the Bokoblins back. The gates of Kakariko were only twenty minutes away. An arrow struck his shoulder at an angle and bounced off his chainmail.

He heard Ilia scream, and raced back to the cart. A pair of birds were diving at the cart, tearing holes in the canvas with their sharp talons. The horsemen couldn't get close enough to help… But his arrows could.

The gates were only ten minutes away. The Bokoblin crowd had been greatly thinned. Only a little more.

Epona was tiring under him. "Come on, girl, just a little more," and he ducked another arrow.

There were the gates, and they were open somehow. But they wouldn't stand up to a boar charge even if they were closed.

"Navi, I'm going to need some bombs across their path."

"Here you go."

He dropped five and hauled himself back on Epona, dashing for the gate. The cart was through… the two horsemen were through… and finally, he was through. He had just cleared it when it slammed shut, and he heard the bombs go off and the squeals of boars and Bokoblins.

He slowed to a walk so Epona could catch her breath. "Good girl. You made it." Curious, he looked around at the gates. They couldn't have closed on their own… could they?

He saw nothing, and turned back to the village.

The first thing he did was to help Ilia carry Ralis inside while Telma put the cart away. It was close to dawn, but he figured it was close enough to call on Renado anyway.

Renado looked as if he had been sleeping, but apparently he had been expecting them. Rana must have come back. Perhaps she had closed the gate. Why hide from him? He could understand not wanting to talk to him, but hiding from him?

He followed Renado to the hotel, and found the horsemen waiting for him.

One was injured, a young man in a uniform with scalemail and long greaves. He had been struck by an arrow in the upper arm and was also bleeding from a wound across his side. His spear leaned against the wall beside him.

The other was a tall, slim youth, with long red hair. He was also wearing scalemail, but his clothes were richer. His ears were pierced with small red rings, and he carried a sword at his side and a shield on his back. He was sitting beside his guard on the lumpy couch in the hotel's reception area, examining his wounds.

"Hello," Link said. "Here, I can help with that. Let's go over to the spring."

"Oww," said the guard. "Do I really have to?"

The young lord clucked his tongue. "Of course you do, Jakob. It is probably magical. Maybe it has fairies in it."

Link looked at him in surprise. "Now, are you familiar with such springs, or is that just tales of Hyrule getting around?" He put one of the guard's arms around his shoulders as the lord took the other side.

"Both," smiled the lord. "But where are my manners? I am Franz Jurgensson Graveling, Prince of Labrynna, and this is my loyal bodyguard, Jakob." His smiled diminished. "My last surviving bodyguard. I used to have six, all brave men and true."

"We would all have given our lives for you, my lord," said Jakob, not leaning very much on Link as they walked together to the Spirit's Spring. Link whistled for Epona, because she was injured too. "I was just the odd one out."

"I did not want any of you to give your lives!" complained Prince Franz. "You were all important to me! Curse those monsters…"

"I'm Link, Hero of Hyrule, and this is Navi, my fairy partner, and my horse, Epona. What brings the Prince of Labrynna to Hyrule?"

They eased Jakob into the water, and he sighed in relief as the enchanted water closed his wounds. "I am just a Prince, the third one," Franz corrected him. "I was here on a mission of diplomacy. Labrynna is not geographically close to Hyrule, yet we have been connected before. In our royal family still runs some of the blood of your knights. The last King of Hyrule, Daphnes Fairton IV, maintained good connections with us. Until he was deposed and murdered. When we next heard your Princess Zelda had taken the throne and was preparing to become Queen Zelda, she reached out to us cautiously. My father responded favourably, of course. Things progressed until it was decided that I should go in person to meet with her."

"And you ended up in the middle of another invasion instead," Link finished for him, mopping Epona's flank as she stood patiently. "That Moblin was probably waiting for you, not us. That's unfortunate."

The Prince looked surprised. "Is that what that was? It looked rather small to be an invasion. I had hoped it was not a betrayal of some kind."

"Zelda would never," Navi began, and Link hushed her.

"He's not talking about Zelda. Someone in the castle who doesn't like Labrynnans would be more reasonable, I think. But no, Prince Franz, nothing so complicated."

"Oh, it's complicated," Navi said. "Just not with court intrigue."

Franz blinked. "Well that sounds interesting. I knew you were a knight of some kind. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Oh no," said Jakob. "Please, tell him no. Otherwise he'll get involved and we'll never get out of this alive. It's a miracle he's survived to his twenty-fifth birthday, really."

"You can start by helping to guard this village," Link said. "There are a lot of children here, rescued from the monsters and far from home. The village mayor is protecting it, and my… friend is guarding it with her sword, or at least I assume she is, but I'd feel even better with more weapons involved."

Franz nodded. "I assure you, this village will be safe as can be. Where will you be?"

"I have to go find out who has that last Fused Shadow, and take it from them. Then we can go kill the one trying to take over Hyrule this time."

"Stop speaking in riddles," Navi said. "Why don't you go to bed? You've been up for a very long time, and a lot of that was riding and fighting. And fighting while riding. You two, would you like to sleep, or to hear the recent history of this kingdom?"

"Sleep," said Jakob.

"Yes, a place for Jakob to sleep," said Franz. "I would like to hear your stories."

"Follow me, then," Link said, leading them back to the hotel.

Once Epona was set and the guard was comfortable, each in their own appropriate place, he left Navi and Franz talking in the main room and fell into his own bed.

.

He woke several hours later. The sun was up, but it was still before noon, as far as he could tell. His stomach was demanding attention, and so was his bladder.

With the one taken care of, he shuffled downstairs to investigate the possibility of food for the other. Colin was in the kitchen, his cast already gone, making pancakes with Beth. "Hi, Link!"

"Hi, Col," Link answered. "Is that for lunch? How's your arm?"

"Yup! We have some blueberries, too! To go on top. My arm's healed! Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah. Where's Navi?" Outside, he could hear Talo yelling at Barnes. But it didn't sound like bratty yelling. It sounded like he was doing a job. So he didn't have to check on them.

"I thought she was watching you," Beth said, and frowned. "Did you know she has very good fashion sense for a girl who doesn't need clothes?"

Link chuckled. "She has hidden depths, that one. She'll find me when she's ready. Are our guests around?"

Colin grinned. "The Prince of Labrynna went to bed about an hour ago. He stayed up way past his bedtime! The other guy is still sleeping, too."

"Stop calling him the Prince of Labrynna," Beth said. "It's annoying."

"Well, you like calling him that too, so you can't tell me to stop…"

"That's true." Beth sighed. "He's very handsome!"

"Ew," Colin said. "You're such a girl."

"You're starting to sound like Talo. Does that mean I can call you a brat?"

Colin laughed and flipped a pancake carefully. "You can call me anything you like. You just can't call me a coward anymore."

"Colin, no one called you a coward before except you," Link said. "I'm glad you finally joined the rest of us on that one. Anyway, I'm starving. Would you let me have some?"

"No!" Beth said, pulling the bowl away from him. "These all need to cook. They have _raw eggs_. What are you, a barbarian?"

"I like pancake batter," Link said mildly.

"Rana came back last night," Colin said. "You didn't ask about her but I know you're thinking about her." He smiled shyly at Link. "Being your girlfriend and all. She seemed sad, though. She went out again right away and I didn't see her at dinner. But there was a bunch of food missing this morning, so I think she did eat eventually. Why was she sad, do you think?"

Link hesitated. "Because she's not my girlfriend right now," he said quietly.

"Oh no!" Beth said. "Something happened?" She shook the ladle at Link. " _Did you do something_?"

"I told her… I needed to focus on Hyrule right now, to make sure the kingdom was safe before I could have a relationship with anyone."

Beth sniffed. "What a stupid thing to say. I bet there's more than that. But I won't pester it out of you." She shook the ladle again. " _This time_."

Link shrugged. "I'm still not clear on it myself."

Colin put a plate of pancakes in front of him and handed him the maple syrup. "Well, Dad sometimes said that the way to take a man's mind off his troubles is to feed him. So here you go."

"Thanks, guys."

"I tried talking to Ilia," Colin said seriously, turning back to the oven. "She doesn't remember anyone. Or anything. I'm really worried."

"We all are," Link said. "I need to go defeat Zant first. But as soon as that's done, I'm going to see if anything can be done for Ilia. There must be something."

"Well, she's really trying to do everything she can for that Zora boy. Prince Ralis? There's a lot of Princes in Kakariko these days! At least this one's more our age. Maybe he can play with us when he gets better."

Link smiled. "That's a good idea. You guys cheer him up."

"Is he sad too?" Beth asked, with a starry-eyed look on her face.

"His mother died recently. Probably not good to ask him about it. But he has no family left now. So you guys take care of him, okay?"

"I can do that!" Beth said, with a sparkle in her eye. Link wondered if she was getting visions of being Princess of the Zoras, or anything similar.

"Do you want to see him after lunch?" Colin asked. "We can take his food to him. And Ilia. But she'll probably be sleeping. Shouldn't you be still sleeping too?"

"Yes, he should," Navi said, fluttering into the kitchen. "No one's getting much sleep these days." And she sat down rather hard on Link's shoulder. "She's not taking it well."

"Don't guilt trip me," Link muttered at her, shoving the last of his pancakes into his mouth, and she sighed and patted his cheek.

"He's not going to sleep properly until Hyrule is free, you can bet on that," Navi said. "But I'll make him go to bed on time tonight, I promise you that. Now that we don't have any immediately time-sensitive missions, it shouldn't be too hard to convince him. How's Ilia?"

Link told her.

"Well, you're done eating, so let's go see them."

Renado met them at the top of the stairs with a hand raised for quiet. "They are both sleeping. Prince Ralis has passed through the worst of his fever and he should recover in due time. Do you know what became of his mother?"

"She died," Beth said uncertainly, and Link chewed his lip and looked uncomfortable.

"It must be a grieved memory," Renado said. "He frets for her in his sleep."

"We're going to stay with him," Colin said. "Beth and Malo and Talo and I. And Ilia, I guess she won't leave him either. We're all going to help him not be lonely."

"Thank you, Colin," Renado said. "Stay here in this village with us until the time comes that you all must go home. It is time for us to display the courage you have already shown."

Luda came to the door of the room. She smiled when she saw the pancakes, and Beth offered them to her. She took them and quietly closed the door.

Renado bowed to the three of them and went downstairs.

Link also went downstairs. Colin and Beth followed him, but they went back into the kitchen. For him, it was time to get some answers.

He stepped out onto the porch, and saw Renado had wandered down to the Spirit's Spring. The door opened behind him and Telma stepped out.

"Thank goodness for coffee," she said, sipping more of that hot bitter drink. "Don't know how I'd function without it. Ah, lad, it's good to see happy results come of your efforts isn't it?"

He nodded, but she was watching Renado wistfully. She continued. "Those skills of yours… any mind to put them to use for Hyrule in a different way?"

Now she had his full attention. "In what way?"

"What hope there is in our kingdom… for those who know things, anyway… is frail and dying. But there's still a group trying to do what it can. And I'm a part of that group. They meet at my bar. It's a special place, more so for the fact that we have a secret passage into the castle itself. I'm pretty sure it was used for smuggling at one point…"

She finished her coffee and put the mug down on the porch railing. "Anyway, I'm going to stay here in Kakariko for a day or two. Keep an eye on Ilia, and, well, never mind the rest." But Link saw her cast an eye over at Renado again. She leaned towards him abruptly, and he got an eyeful of cleavage before he managed to look her properly in the eye. "I want to see you again at my bar, you got that, honey? If you ever need anything, stop by. I'll be waiting!" She winked at him, and danced away in Renado's general direction.

She really was a lot taller than he was, and so was Renado. Luda was going to grow up very tall.

Thoughtfully, he went to the stable to saddle Epona. Perhaps the group there would know where the Fused Shadow was.

.

He arrived at Hyrule Castle in the early evening. He would have to investigate and then sleep. If he didn't find any clues, his next idea was to go and ask the Zoras if they had any idea. Probably not. Perhaps he could ask the Light Spirit.

On impulse, he went back to Telma's bar. The sign in the window said 'closed', but there was a light on, so he went in.

"Link, we're not supposed to be in here when she's not," Navi said from behind his shoulder.

"It's all right, we're her friends," Link said. There was a trio of people in the back of the bar, an older man in brown leather, a girl in armour and furs, and a young man in ordinary if colourful clothes with his nose deep in a book.

"Excuse me," Link said. "Are you friends of Telma's?"

"Are you?" challenged the older man. "The bar is closed as the proprietress is not present. I suggest you leave." Link guessed it was not a good idea to ask about the secret passage so he could go rescue Zelda. Besides, Zant would probably jump on him before he got anywhere near Zelda, and without Midna's help, he would probably get squashed. He had learned that much from facing Ganondorf and Majora, about trying to face enemies he wasn't prepared for.

"I just have a question. I'm looking for a Fused Shadow. Can you tell me anything about that?"

The young man looked up out of his book at him curiously. "Is that something you get at an apothecary?"

Link winced. "I guess not. Sorry to bother you."

"What is it?" demanded the girl. "If you came to ask Telma about it, maybe we can help you."

"It's…" Link considered. 'A corrupting piece of ancient magic' probably wouldn't go down well, even if he followed it with 'to defeat Zant'. "It's a piece of ancient magic. It seems to have caused some disturbances since Zant's attack."

"What _are_ you wearing?" asked the young man. "Is that a replica, an authentic replica of the Hero's Clothes? Please, don't tell me, did you make it yourself?"

Link flushed. "Maybe. Does that have any relevance?"

"If you're thinking of acting like a hero, don't," the older man said. "You aren't the Hero. You'll just get yourself killed."

Link was choking back a hysterical laugh. "All right. But you're sure you don't know anything about the Fused Shadow?"

"Nope," said the girl. She glanced around at her companions. "Though if you're looking for strange disturbances, you could try Lake Hylia. Even now that the water's back, it's been doing some funny things. I hope it's not the Water Temple acting up again."

"Just don't get into any trouble, Mr. Hero!" said the young man, and giggled to himself. "I'm really rather jealous of your skills! I don't suppose you'd sell your costume?"

Link smiled awkwardly. "No, no, this isn't for sale. Thanks for your help. I'll leave you alone, now." He backtracked hastily out of the pub and let out his laugh. Navi joined in.

"That was the most entertaining thing I've experienced in a while," he said when he had his breath back.

"Agreed," said his fairy, and bonked him on the head affectionately.


	10. Chapter 10: Zant's Victory

Chapter 10: Zant's Victory

.

He returned to the edge of Lake Hylia at dawn and turned Epona loose to fend for herself. There was a narrow path down from the high bridge to the water's edge, just as he had suspected.

He slithered down the last few feet and found himself in a little bay on the edge of the lake. A ghostly figure was facing away from him, out into the lake.

Rutela turned to him. "I am deeply grateful for your aid to my son in his time of need, Hero. He is all that I have left, and I could not rest easy until he was safe. In thanks, I can now return to you something of your own."

Something unfurled in front of Link, and he grabbed at it before it could fall to the ground. It was his blue Zora tunic, but it was different. Someone had taken the basic Zora tunic and added scalemail and other pieces of armour. There was a pair of flippers that he certainly didn't remember, and a partly-armoured headpiece that reminded him of a Zora's head fin. "Thanks!"

"Ooh, it's super pretty now," Navi said, circling it thoughtfully. "Put it on!"

"You seek where the darkness dwells in the Lake, don't you? You already know where it is…"

Link sighed. "Not the Water Temple?"

Rutela smiled mysteriously. "We have used the Temple for many things, we Zoras, whether for a prison or for a place of worship."

She turned away again, tall and sad. "I can now join my husband in the long sleep of death. And yet… my son does not know the truth of my death. When you see him next… tell him… Tell him he must not grieve his mother's passing. Tell him she wanted him to be brave and strong as the leader of our people. And… tell him… his mother loves him without end."

"I will," Link said solemnly, and Rutela smiled at the lake and disappeared from his sight.

Link began to get changed into his new Zora tunic. "The Hero was right. I am so late."

"You couldn't be everywhere at once," Navi said pragmatically. "I have no idea how Zant has been all over Hyrule in what seems to be only a day or two, done all the damage he did."

"But if I had been in Hyrule before, instead of footling my time away in Ordon, I would have at least been able to get his attention, maybe coordinate kingdom-wide resistance." He pulled the tunic and scale-mail over his head and began strapping on his belts and gauntlets.

"You can't take responsibility for the whole kingdom," Navi chided, irritated. "Goodness, you can barely take responsibility for yourself. You wouldn't sleep or eat if it wasn't for the rest of us, and your own body shutting down. Be realistic, now."

Link stared at the boots that had come with the tunic before he pulled them on. "I should have gone back sooner."

"You can't predict what's going to happen with mental issues," Navi said. "And you had some serious ones. Stop thinking about what might have been. You can't change it. I don't think the Ocarina is going to take you back in time a few weeks or anything, not this time. Come on. Stop moping. We have a chance to fix what's left."

Link sighed and got up, fitting his new helmet on. "You're right, of course. I just feel awful."

"Well, you can either feel awful and get yourself killed, or feel a sense of purpose, and save Hyrule."

He smiled. "I have to say the second option sounds a lot more inviting." He dove headfirst into the lake and carved a stream of bubbles through the water.

"That's more like it," Navi said. "Where's the Water Temple at, again?"

.

The Water Temple was just as beautiful as he remembered it, although it seemed to have rearranged itself since he had seen it. He found both his hookshots in a treasure chest near the beginning, and concocted a crazy plan to duel wield them, one on each hand. Navi thought it was genius, and so he did.

It was the first dungeon he had completed alone – besides Navi – since he had returned to Hyrule, and it felt a little bit funny. But on the other hand, it was very much like when he had been wandering alone with Navi. They knew each other's banter, their blind spots and particular interests. And with their long relationship, it was a comfort rather than boring.

After many hours of trap-evading and maze-solving, he slipped into a hole in the floor, and found himself in a vast stone tank of water.

He swam downwards cautiously. The only light was Navi's soft fairy light, muted in the water, and he had no idea what was waiting for him below.

He felt rather than heard something rushing at him like a thousand charging bulls, and took blind evasive action, swimming down as hard as he could. The Zora tunic was now almost as good as actually being a Zora, and he had personal experience to back that up.

He caught a glimpse of a huge mouth full of needle-sharp teeth as long as his arm, and long translucent white tentacles, rushing at him. He was going to fast for it to make the turn to actually eat him, but this was going to be a difficult fight.

"Navi!" he called, his voice muffled by the water outside his facemask. "I need you to stay close to that thing's head at all times!"

"Got it!" and off she went, her own abilities barely affected by water. He would rather risk running into a wall than getting snapped up by that massive thing. It was an eel that would fit handily in Kakariko Canyon. How come he always ended up fighting giant monsters?

It had finally turned, and was charging him again. He dodged upwards this time, and caught sight of a large eyeball ensconced on the thing's back. He wasn't in himself fast enough to catch up with it, but that looked like a good place to start attacking, rather than the leathery hide that covered the rest of it. Did he even have a weapon that could pierce such a thing? He suddenly longed for the Master Sword, with its unstoppable blade. His own sword was good against average monsters, not giants that threatened the state of the world.

Or maybe the Giant's Mask that he had carried in Termina would come in handy. What had happened to all his masks, anyway?

Well, Navi had told him to stop thinking about might-have-beens. That applied to battle tactics, too.

"Navi! Show me where that eye is! I'm going to try to hit it on the next pass!" He tread water in the middle of the tank, waiting for it to come around again.

It came, mouth gaping wide, and he shot to the side and latched on to its back with his hookshot near the eye. Hand by hand, he crawled close to it, before finally drawing his sword and plunging it deep into the eye. The thing beneath him jolted, and he was covered in a cloud of inky goop that was whisked away by the speed of the water around him. And a good thing too; he didn't think his mask's filtration system was up to extracting air from goop.

The beast under him was charging blindly in pain, and he was swept from its back. He felt the chamber shake as the creature struck the wall head on. In Navi's light, he could see it drift limply for a moment, and then it shook itself, a shudder that convulsed from its tentacles down all its hundred joints to its tail. It turned and began feeling for him in the water.

"Look!" Navi cried. "It knocked a hole in the wall!"

"So you want me to go through it?"

"It's mad now! Go, go go go!"

It was racing at him, even faster than before, and he took Navi's advice. Ducking under it, he shot for the dark opening in the wall, praying to Farore that it was not leading to some even more terrible monster.

The crack was narrow, but he shot through it and found himself in a winding natural passage. He heard the crumble of stone, and looked back briefly to see sharp teeth coming at him. He kicked harder and fled for his life ahead of the teeth and the destruction they caused. The corridor began to twist, still going in the same general direction, but making it difficult to stay ahead of the monster. Up, left, right, down, he could barely follow it without crashing into the sides.

It was closing in on him, but the thing behind him was still tearing through the old stone like it was crusty bread.

There was a tiny gap ahead, and he turned sideways to fit through. He hit stone with his shoulder and bounced off. He was in a narrow trough perpendicular to the space he had just been in, and he couldn't see far in any direction.

The monster crashed against the stone behind him, but it held – barely. Massive cracks had appeared, and the hole he had come through was a lot wider now. A white tentacle wriggled through at him, and Navi screamed. He drew his sword and hacked at it, kicking away. He heard it thrash on the other side of the wall, and began looking for a way out.

The way up seemed clear, so he pulled in that direction. Only just in time; the wall that had held back the monster momentarily shattered and it was through and on his tail again.

He saw the surface of the water and came to it, half leaping out of it with the force of his speed and falling back. It was too close behind him… He struck out with his sword again, and it bounced off teeth.

"Here!" shrieked Navi, lighting up a ledge above the water. He kicked for it, seized the edge, and hauled himself out just in time. The teeth snapped shut behind his foot by the fraction of a second.

He stumbled partway up the incline that led to the cave wall and turned.

They were in another large cave, pitch black except for Navi's light. The ledge he was on was the only safe place he could see, and he kept his ears open for other monsters. The only thing he could hear was his pursuer thrashing angrily in the water just below him.

"Options?" he asked his fairy.

"Not a lot," she answered, her voice shaking. "We could get it to swallow a bomb…"

"That's true," he mused, pulling down his facemask to get a real breath of air, if only for a moment. He caught sight of something in the darkness. "Navi, can you fly closer to the roof for a minute?"

A tentacle snaked out of the water at him and he almost missed seeing it, so intent he was on the forest of stalactites Navi illuminated for him. He jumped backwards and slashed at it.

"What do you want to do with these?" Navi called down.

"Blow them up, if possible," Link called back, climbing further back up and pulling out one of his smaller bombs. "Can you hand me my bow and then go light up the stalactites right above the monster, please?"

She nervously did as he asked. "Be careful!"

"I'll do my best." He managed to tie the bomb to an arrow and nocked it to the bow. "Which one should I aim for?"

"This one! Hurry!"

He let fly, just as something grabbed his ankle. He fell, sliding down the slope towards the water's edge, and the monster's gaping mouth.

"Link!" Navi screamed.

The bomb went off, and there was a massive crack. The stalactite shook, splintered, and fell. A large piece pierced the opening where the eye had been, stabbing deep into the soft body within the hard leathery armour.

Link was completely entangled in tentacles now, and all his struggling wasn't getting him any more free. Suddenly, they went limp, and began to slide back into the water, dragging him with him. He could no longer see the teeth. Thinking quickly, he dropped his bow and pulled up his facemask just as he slid into the water.

"Link!" Navi screamed again. "Where are you? Are you okay? I think it worked! Answer me, dangit!"

He was having some trouble reaching his sword. At least he wouldn't drown.

The tentacles vanished with a poof, and he kicked and rose to the surface of the water. "Hi."

"Link! You're okay!" She swooped down and tackled his face. He grinned.

"I'm all right. We got it?"

"I think so."

"You did," Midna said from the edge of the water. "And I got the last Fused Shadow, too." She tossed it in the air casually with her hair and caught it again. It looked like a mirror of the part she already wore on her head. "Well done, guys. I hope you don't resent me for all I've put you through for this. I _need_ it. It's the only way to stop Zant."

"I know," Link said. "I was thinking we could use the Master Sword on him, but I'll trust you with this."

"His power is unnaturally great, but it is a false power. I'll prove it with these." She nodded determinedly, and packed it away into her own hammerspace. "And… well, I'm sorry for dragging you all over the place. I know it's taken a lot of time out of your schedule of saving people."

He shrugged. "I dragged you all over the place too. I don't think you have to apologize."

"And I'm sorry that Navi couldn't come with you in the Twilight. You guys are a great team."

Navi bobbed in surprise. "Uh. Thanks! Hey, you're not so bad."

Midna smirked. "Keep that up, and I'll take it back."

Link blinked in confusion as both Midna and Navi burst into giggles.

"So," Midna said, recovering herself, "shall I get you out of here? Where shall we go next?"

"Let's check in with the Light Spirit," Link said. "Is that okay, Midna?"

"It's fine with me. And it's probably getting late. You should probably get some rest before we go face Zant tomorrow." She gave a little hop and a throwing motion, and a blue and black portal appeared on the ground beside her. "Here you are. See you later, eeheehee!"

He stepped into the portal and felt the familiar tug on his head as it took him up.

.

He appeared on the edge of the Spirit's Spring. Lanayru was not there, which he took as a good sign…

He turned to leave and bumped into something tall, solid, and robed. He saw black robes with green designs, and a red strip with more designs, and a threatening, towering, inhuman helmet.

He had never seen the figure before, but his hand went to his sword. He recognized him immediately anyway. "Zant."

Before his sword was half out of its sheath, Zant's hand had whipped forward and clamped around his neck. Link was lifted off the ground easily and flung aside. Navi screamed. Lanayru came boiling out of her pool, hissing in rage.

Before Link could get back to his feet and get his sword all the way out, Zant had stretched out his hand to Lanayru, and she sank, shuddering, back into her pool. The chamber became filled with Twilight, and Link found he was once again a wolf.

With an angry howl, he flung himself at Zant, and found his way barred. He bounced off something invisible but solid, and was flung back, his forehead stinging. Navi fluttered next to him in distress. "Leave him alone!" she shouted at Zant, who swatted at her. She struck the wall of the cavern and slid down beside him.

Midna rose in front of him, the Fused Shadows swirling around her. He couldn't see her face.

Zant reached out, and ripped the Fused Shadows away from her, even her helmet. Her hair was messy, poking out in all directions from long confinement. She cried out in protest, but before she could move, he lifted her into the air with magic, pinning her by the wrists in invisible chains.

"Midna, Midna, Midna…" Zant chided. His voice was surprisingly high and soft. "Did you honestly meant to take an ancient and withered power like this and turn it against me?" He laughed, and Link heard the secret note of madness in his voice. It hurt too much to move… He tried to force himself up, but he was on the edge of blacking out as it was… "You are a foolish traitor. Why do you defy your king so?"

Midna was hauled around, and now Link could see her face. She was wearing a terrible snarl, exposing fangs Link had never seen before. " _My_ king? You must be joking. You do nothing but abuse the magic of your tribe! _You_ betrayed _ME_!"

"You dare presume that my power is… our old magic? You are the joking one." Midna was flung into the dirt next to Link. "This power was given to me by my god, and you will respect it!"

She crawled over to Link. "I can't fight him," she whispered, almost inaudibly. "I've failed."

He stirred, in time to see a red light glowing at Zant's chest. His forehead throbbed in time with the light. Midna looked shocked, and touched his forehead, next to where Navi had crawled. The light died but the pain in his head did not.

She was yanked away from him again, and with her back against Zant's chest. He leaned over her shoulder, his helmet faceplate sliding up to reveal an effeminate mouth in a pale blue face. He whispered in her ear. "My Midna… did you forget? This is one of the light-dwellers who oppress our people. No matter your desires, you will never be a part of their world. But… Midna, if we make their world ours, then light and shadow will meet at last… Sweet darkness will blot out this harsh light! But I can't do it without you, Midna." He nibbled on her ear. "Lend me your power."

She struggled, kicking, and seemed to break free of the invisible grip Zant had on her. She crawled, humiliated, back over to Link.

"So be it," and Zant's voice cracked with anger. "I will return you to the Light World you covet!" Midna was ripped away from him and dangled over the edge of the Spirit's Spring. Zant raised his hand, and Lanayru rose from the water, the Twilight evaporating.

Midna was held there, helpless, and she let out a terrible scream as Lanayru enveloped her in swirls of light until she was no longer visible. But the Light Spirit's face looked compassionate rather than vengeful. Link felt himself rising, and light covered him too, as he finally passed out.

.

He came to, slowly, under the light of the moon. The wind brushed his ears, and he heard it blowing over grass and bushes. His head didn't hurt so much anymore, though it still felt like there was something… present inside it. He staggered to all fours and sniffed the wind. There was going to be rain very soon, judging from the breeze and the clouds heading their way.

He also heard someone breathing painfully. He turned his head to look over his shoulder at the weight on his back, and saw Midna. But she looked… wrong, as if he were looking at her in negative. She weighed less than usual, without her enchanted helmet.

Her red and yellow eye cracked open. "Link… get to… the Princess. She will… tell you where… to go next."

He looked around and saw Hyrule Castle Town right there, only a few hundred metres away. Then he heard a horse-y snort, and looked the other way to see Epona.

"Epona!" he barked, and Epona neighed back.

"Link! You are okay!"

He jumped. "Wait, I can understand you?"

His horse laughed. "You are a beast, an animal like the rest of us, are you not? How could you not understand us?"

He absorbed that for a moment. "And you knew who I was?"

"Just because you look like a wolf, sound like a wolf, and overwhelmingly smell like a wolf, doesn't mean I can't recognize my own master. I'm a horse, not stupid." She bent her head and touched her nose to his. "I can't carry you in this form, but let me come with you. Perhaps I can convince the humans that you are not a danger to them."

"Thanks, Epona. You're the best."

"Oh! And I also found something." She shrugged her head, and something small and glowing fell out of her mane and landed on Link's nose. He twitched in surprise.

"Navi!"

His fairy groaned, although she probably couldn't understand the whine that came out of his muzzle. "Link…? Where… You all right?" She climbed up further onto the top of his head and passed out again.

"Midna said we have to see Princess Zelda," he said to Epona, beginning to move in the direction of the city. "She's hurt, and so is Navi. Maybe Zelda will know how to help them."

"I like the Princess," Epona said, walking beside him. "She dressed like a boy and brought me apples while I was waiting for you here."

Link snuffed. "I guess you could tell it was her. I certainly couldn't."

"You were a human. They miss things like that. How will you see her? Isn't she in a tower?"

"I don't think we'll get in through the front gates of the castle, and I don't think we'll be able to sneak in the way we did when we were children… We hadn't met you yet,then… But there's a secret passage in a bar in the city."

"I can take you to the bar!" Epona said, prancing a little and flicking her tail. "Oh, this is so exciting! I finally get to talk to you properly, Master!"

"You can call me Link." A drop of water fell on his nose, and he snorted it away.

Epona blinked her big brown eyes at him. "But… you're my Master. So that's what I want to call you. No one else is my Master but you."

"If you insist…"

"I do. Oh," Epona said, "but the bridge is up. Perhaps I can make a lot of noise, and they will open it for me?"

Navi moved on his head. "Link? What's going on?"

He looked up as she stretched her wings and flew up from his head. "I hurt so much… I don't know what kind of magic Zant hit me with, but that was _not_ fun! And you're a wolf again, and… Oh! What happened to Midna?"

Epona and Link looked at each other. Neither of them understood what was happening, or knew how to tell Navi. It began to rain softly.

Navi hovered around Midna in distress. "She looks awful. Are we going into the city? All of us?" She looked over at Epona, and Link nodded. "I don't know if we'll be able to get Epona in. That would mean getting the drawbridge open somehow, and I don't think we can do that. I could talk to a guard, but I don't think it would go well."

"Can you get in, at least?" Epona asked, looking at the raised drawbridge and the long drop to the moat below.

"I did it once before. But Midna wasn't hurt that time." He took a deep breath and jumped up to the pillar that the chain looped around. Midna began to slide off and he wriggled to hitch her up into a more stable position.

He turned briefly to Epona. "You'll be all right out here?"

"I'll be fine. I can outrun or fight most of the monsters out here. The rain won't bother me. Just… don't take too long, please?"

He nodded and stepped out onto the chain and wobbled. Best to just go for it. And so he ran lightly up the chain to the top of the wall and jumped up and over.

"Well done," Navi whispered to him. "Now, where are we going? Telma's?"

He led the way there. The door was partly open, and inviting golden light streamed out, despite the puddles that were forming outside. The rain was coming down pretty heavily, now.

Link made for the door, but he heard a shout of consternation from inside. "Wolfos! Ahhh!"

The armoured girl ran for the door, kicked him in the face, and slammed it shut. "Stay out, monster! You're lucky I'm too busy to kill you!"

"Wait here," Navi said, as Link picked himself up and hitched Midna up a little higher on his back. Her breathing was still ragged.

An upper window creaked open slightly, and Telma's cat looked out at them. "Mr. Link?"

"Oh, I can go in there," Navi said. "I'll be right back. Hopefully they listen to me!"

She zipped up to the window and inside, and the cat jumped out, heedless of the pouring rain on its fluffy white fur.

"Dear me, what has happened to you?" asked the cat, sniffing at him and looking him over. He had a brief but unpleasant flashback to a mill, a clock, a man who laughed and said "You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?"

"I don't believe we have been properly introduced. My name is Louise. I live here with my human, Telma. You are, of course, Mr. Link the Hero. And the person on your back…"

"She's Midna," Link said. "She needs help. We need to see the Princess."

"Ah, of course. I see why you came here. Well, perhaps your fairy friend will be able to convince that Resistance lot to let you in. I might be able to get you to the secret passage without them noticing, but if they wise up, that would be easier. Come, let's sit here under the awning where it's slightly drier." She began licking the water from her tail. Link crouched uneasily, trying to hear what was going on inside.

Navi must have only just found her way down. "Hi! I need your help."

"A fairy!" That was the young man's voice. "I've read so much about them, but I've never seen one before. Are you a Great Fairy's assistant, or a healing fairy, or a guardian fairy?"

"Navi!" said another voice. "Where's Link? Is he in trouble?"

"Prince Franz?" Navi said. "Yes, he is! And his friend, too, Midna. So we need to see Princess Zelda right away if at all possible. At least, I think that's why we're here. Hi, Rusl, what are you doing here?"

"How do you know my name, fairy?"

"Link lived in Ordon for a while. He had the name Green because reasons. But right now we need to get help for Midna."

There was a pause from inside, and then a lot of talking at once.

"How can we trust her?" asked the armoured girl over the noise.

Link heard rather heavy footsteps approaching the door and tensed. But it was Franz who flung it open. "Link? Ah, you're a wolf right now? Lady Rana said something about that."

He padded forward slowly, his ears back warily. He wasn't sure how this looked but it was, unexpectedly, embarrassing. All these people were looking at him, and he _wasn't human_ , couldn't talk to them…

"You can tell it's him because he has blue eyes, the Triforce on his left paw, and pierced ears," Navi said. "Come in, Link."

Louise the cat trotted through the door. "Yes, dear, do come in. I'm sure they'll take care of you now."

He followed her slowly. He knew everyone except Franz and Navi would see him as a threat, and his ears stayed back.

"He looks spooked," said the older man. "And no wonder." He got up and went over to Link, kneeling before him. "Sir Link, please forgive our rudeness last time we met. We must be careful about whom we trust. You must understand. My name is Auru, and I am the leader of this Resistance group. This young woman is Ashei,a knight from the Snowpeak area, and this young man is Shad, our scholar. Rusl it seems you already know." Rusl was staring at Link in wonder.

"I would like to apologize in particular," Shad said, putting a hand over his heart. "I greatly admire you. You're rather formidable! Especially as a wolf. I'm not formidable at all, I'm afraid, except at reading. But if any of my knowledge can help you, I will freely share it! Although you may have to stop me when I get too excited." Link nodded to him.

"I'm keeping an eye on you until you break your curse," Ashei told him. "I don't trust wolves. Nothing personal, you understand."

Rusl came over to Link. "If that really is you, Green… I owe you a huge debt. I went to Kakariko Village! I have seen Colin, and the other children, and Ilia. Colin told me what you have done for him, and my head is still spinning trying to put it all together. You really are the Hero of legend?"

Link tried to keep his smile friendly instead of terrifying.

"It truly is amazing. I came here with this young man, Prince Franz, and we joined the Resistance as soon as we could. We want to help Hyrule as much as we can."

"You say he needs to see Princess Zelda?" Franz asked, looking at Midna. "I'm not sure what this person is supposed to be, but she looks and sounds very ill."

"Yes, I think that's why we're here. She will probably know something for Midna," Navi said.

"No…" Midna croaked from Link's back, and several people backed up. "Need to know… where to go next… must defeat Zant another way."

"Right," Franz said. "We must get this lady in to see Zelda at all costs."

"Telma said there was a secret passage," Navi said. "Do you know where it is?"

Even Shad looked blank. "I heard rumours, but I haven't found any sources that were citation worthy…"

Louise meowed loudly. "Up here, dear. Ignore them, no one knows it's here except me."

Link got to his feet and examined the ledge she stood on. It only looked like a shelf, but then she disappeared behind a support beam.

"Let's move some of these boxes," Franz said, already doing his best. "Then we can get up there."

"Are we all going?" Ashei asked flatly. "That doesn't seem like a good idea. We'd get spotted as soon as we got inside."

They looked at Link, who looked at Navi. "Link, I can't read your mind," Navi said. "You think it should be just us?"

He nodded.

"No, I'm coming!" Franz said. "I have to let the Princess know she has Labrynna's support. Whatever else you want to do, I'm coming."

"We can tell her for you," Navi began.

"Lady Navi, I must speak with her in person. Please let me come."

Link shrugged and climbed up the rough ladder of boxes to the ledge.

"Link says okay, but I say: do be careful," Navi told him. "We don't know what's in the castle and we can't be responsible for you."

"I'm ready for anything," Franz said determinedly. "Let's go."

"Goodbye," Rusl said. "Good luck!"

"Goddesses be with you!" Shad called.

Link was already worming his way into the crawl space. It was a good thing Midna wasn't wearing her helmet, because it probably wouldn't fit. Her shallow breathing was scaring him.

Louise was waiting a little further in, where the crawl space opened up a little. "Here you go, dear. You'll have to do a bit of swimming at some point, I expect, but that shouldn't stop you. I'm going to go back in where it's light. Good luck, dear!"

"Thanks for all your help," Link said, and crawled past her.

Franz was behind him, breathing hard. "This is definitely a secret passage."

"Shh," Navi said to him.

Link went on. The passage grew higher, into a proper tunnel, and wound around into the centre of town. He began to hear water.

The secret passage passed through sewers, water run-off drains from the streets above. He led the way through, not waiting for the prince jogging to keep up behind him. He wondered if that was really fair, but something told him that Franz was going to insist on coming along frequently in the future, and he wanted to see how well he measured up. Although Franz was older in years, Link was the more experienced one by far, and felt older as a consequence.

For his part, Franz seemed determined that he would measure up, and that he would not be a burden. He followed gamely, saying nothing.

The secret passage spit them out in a dungeon cell in a familiar part of the castle. Link led the way that he had gone last time, glancing around warily, looking for guards. Franz's sword was in his hand, although if he had to use it, that meant something had gone horribly wrong and they were going to die.

The castle was eerily silent. There seemed to be no guards, no cowering Hyrulian guards, not even the fierce birds that had attacked him the first time. He had to say the castle did look rather better when not under Twilight.

Midna groaned, and he was reminded that time was running out for her. He jumped into the window that led into Zelda's tower and dashed up the stairs.

Zelda's room appeared to be empty and his heart turned to ice inside him. If she was not there…

There was movement from the bed. "Mm?"

He whined, and Zelda sat up in her nightgown. There were dark circles under her eyes. She probably hadn't been sleeping. "Link! You came back!"

Midna toppled from his back and landed on the ground with a thump. Franz went to her, lifting her gently. "Forgive the intrusion, Princess Zelda… This lady needs your help."

"Who are you?" Zelda demanded, even as she took Midna from his arms. "What happened to you, Midna? Where is your helmet?"

Franz bowed. "I am Franz Jurgensson Graveling, Prince of Labrynna. I offer you… well, Labrynna doesn't know about the state of affairs here yet. But I offer you my personal aid. I gather these two were attacked by Zant."

"Three," Navi said. "But I'm fine. Midna looks really bad, though. Zant took her Fused Shadows. Is she going to be all right?"

Zelda looked down gravely at Midna. "I don't know. She's not of the Light World, and she's been forced into it somehow." She spared a brief smile for Franz. "I thank you for your aid. I am only sorry that you have to offer it. It must have been a shock, to get here and find the kingdom in disarray again."

"Do not even think of it, Princess."

Midna's eyes opened again. "Zelda… good, you're here. How… do you lift the curse on this one?" She pointed weakly at Link. "He is the one… who can save your world."

Zelda looked at Link and frowned. She knelt down in front of him and stretched out her right hand, where her Triforce rested. It glowed softly, and Link felt the last pain in his head vanishing. He leaned into her hand gratefully and she scratched behind his ears, which felt really nice.

But Zelda's frown did not diminish. "This is… not Twilight magic."

"I know," Midna said, rather tartly.

"It almost feels like…" Zelda grew pale, and Link immediately feared the worst, a fear he did not dare name. "Link, you must find the Master Sword again. If my guess is correct, it is the only thing that will help you break this curse."

"That's easy," Navi began. "It's just down in the Temple of Time, right?"

Zelda shook her head. "It's not so easy. The Temple of Time vanished from the Castle Town after the world was shaken up, and only after some months Saria told me it reappeared deep in the Lost Woods. She calls the place the Sacred Grove, which sounds fitting. I'm afraid you're going to have to make a long journey." She looked down at Midna. "One I don't think she has time for."

"That's all right," Midna said hoarsely. "You can… get to the woods… on your own, right?" She paused for breath. "Only one more thing. Where… tell him where… you can find the Mirror of Twilight."

Zelda gasped.

It took her a moment to find words again. "Midna… Now I believe I know just who and what you are… Despite your injuries, you still act to save us… Please forgive us for our blundering and neglect." She sat up straighter. "Now the correct path is clear to me."

"Wait, what…" Midna began, and then her eyes opened in wonder and she screamed. "No! Link, stop her!"

Zelda had begun to glow. Franz took a step forward and stopped in consternation.

Tiny tingles of light flowed from Zelda to Midna through their clasped hands. Midna was trying to pull away, but was still too weak to, though she began to float into the air. There was a sound like bells in the room.

" _You_ must help Link defeat Zant," Zelda said quietly. "You cannot sacrifice yourself like this."

"Neither can you!" Midna cried, grimacing in pain as the light washed over her.

Zelda smiled. "It's too late to argue. Link? Be strong."

The light grew too bright for him to look at, and when it finally faded again, Zelda had vanished.

Midna's feet touched the floor. She was back to her usual colouring, and looked much better. But she was as grim as he had ever seen her.

"Let's go," she said to him over her shoulder. "We're going to find the Master Sword and fix you, and then we're going to find the Mirror of Twilight and make Zant wish he'd never been born. Oh, Zelda, what made you do that?"

"Did she…" Navi asked.

"Sacrifice her life force to keep me alive?" Midna said, sounding bitter. "To make me capable of functioning in a world of Light? Yes, she did." She sniffed and wiped her nose on her arm. "I've taken all she had to give, though I did not want it. I misjudged her too. I've misjudged all of you."

Link padded up to her and nuzzled her other arm. She patted his nose. "I know." She jumped on his back and created a portal in front of them. "Let's go."

"But, wait, what about…" Franz began. "She's not… dead, is she?"

Midna looked back at him with a mysterious smile. "No. We can restore her. But not until we have the right tools. Come on, Princey-boy. We've got work to do."

Link stepped into the portal.

.

They reassembled in Hyrule Field. It was getting close to dawn.

Epona saw them and ran up to them. "Link! You got your friend fixed, anyway. But what about you?"

"We need to go to the Lost Woods," Link told her. "Would you like to give Franz a lift?"

Epona looked at him askance. "I guess I can. But he's not you."

Navi looked between them. "Link, are you… talking to Epona?"

The wolfish and horse-y chuckles she got answered her question for her. Epona moved over to Franz and butted him. He patted her nose, looking confused.

"I think you're supposed to ride her," Midna said. "Good idea, Link. We'll get there much faster if all the two-legged ones ride four-legged ones."

Franz had no sooner clambered astride Epona when Link felt the fur on the back of his neck stand up. Something evil was descending over – or into – Hyrule Castle. He looked back, in time to see a giant glowing shield materialize around the castle, and he growled at it.

Midna actually turned to side sideways on him to look at it. It was yellowish, and was covered in black markings. She clenched her fist, and then looked down at it in wonder, as if she was still in shock that she even had a fist to make.

"Come on," she said, and her voice was as hard as Link had ever heard it. They began to run across Hyrule Field, heading south to the forest.


	11. Chapter 11: Evil's Bane in Hand

Chapter 11: Evil's Bane in Hand

.

A day and a half had passed since Zant had cursed Link and Midna. The little group was struggling through the Lost Woods, striking out in the direction Saria had told them to go; a direction with no paths.

Link and Midna were okay, since he was compact and built for woodland travel. But Franz and Epona were having difficulty. Either the undergrowth was too thick, or fallen logs and streams blocked their path. Still, they kept gamely on.

Midna looked back at the tall mare shouldering her way through more bushes. Flies buzzed around her, and she flicked her tail to get rid of them.

"How much longer do you think this goes on?" Midna whispered to Link. "Our companions are beginning to look tired."

Link had heard Epona grumbling under her breath for several hours now, and couldn't answer Midna anyway. Instead, he turned to look back at Epona. "Holding up all right back there?" He wouldn't have guessed that his patient horse would talk the way she did, and wondered if she ever threw invectives at him that he couldn't understand as a human. Though from the way she seemed to adore him, probably not often.

"This guy doesn't weigh all that much," she answered. "But the branches constantly hitting me in the face are really annoying! He's doing his best to guide me but I don't really like this part of the forest, you know?"

"That's fair," he answered, picking his way carefully along a rocky outcropping in the forest floor. "I hope it's not much farther."

"Me too. I really don't want to throw a shoe in here."

Franz had been quiet most of the day. Link guessed he was feeling out of place, being the only human currently in the group. He looked around in wonder at the massive trees around them, even though they had been passing trees of that size since they started out.

"My guards and I, we came through this forest from the south-west," he said at one point. "We got lost for days."

"You were lucky to get out at all," Navi said. "Isn't there a road you could follow, from Hyrule to… other countries?"

"Yes, but something must have happened to it in the last couple months, or perhaps the messengers know the forest better than we did…"

Finally, Link caught sight of something. "Epona, look, there's a stone arch. We must be getting close."

"Oh, good." She broke into a trot and caught up to him. "Hey, Master, are you going to ride me back?"

He glanced up at her. "I don't think either of us will ride you. It's more fair that way. Or maybe I'll let him keep riding you. I think I'm probably stronger than he is."

"Well, if you say so. The only downside is that you won't be able to understand me, Master."

"I'll try to listen more carefully to you from now on, even as a human," he promised.

They passed under the arch and found themselves in a courtyard. He heard a mischievous giggle and looked around to see who was making that sound. He caught sight of something moving behind a pillar and slunk over to see who it belonged to.

"Heheheh!" A Skull Kid popped out in his face, and he jumped back with a bark, teeth bared. "What a funny group you are!"

"Who the heck are you?" Midna snapped.

"I'm a Skull Kid! I wanna play. Play with me!"

"We don't really have time," Navi said placatingly. She knew Skull Kids. "We have to get to the Temple right away. This is Link. Do you remember Link? He's been cursed to be a wolf."

"Nope! Don't know anyone named Link! But you'll play with me anyway. You can't be in that much of a hurry."

"Listen, you little…" Midna began.

"Don't make him angry," Navi said hastily. "Skull Kids are actually very powerful."

Midna tossed her head. "More powerful than me?"

The Skull Kid giggled. "Wanna find out, pretty lady?"

Franz moved Epona forward a pace or two. "Perhaps it would be easiest just to satisfy him quickly and move on?"

"Yeah!" The Skull Kid bobbled its head. "We're gonna play hide and seek. If you win, I'll let you keep going. If I win… you have to keep playing with me!" He opened his glowing eyes very wide. "Forever!" Vines curled around the exits to the courtyard, trapping them at least for the time being. But Link knew that the Skull Kid could influence the forest so they would never leave, if they lost.

Link snorted. Between his nose, Navi's flight, Epona's weight, Midna's magic, and Franz's sword, this would be a piece of cake.

"You have to find me and my three friends," the Skull Kid giggled. "And you have to find us in ten minutes. Now, count to a hundred!"

Midna and Navi looked at each other and sighed. "I'll count," Navi said disgustedly.

"Hide your eyes!" said the Skull Kid. "No cheating!"

Link kept his eyes open, and it didn't make much difference – the Skull Kids were gone in the twinkling of an eye.

"Ninety-seven… ninety-eight… ninety-nine…" Navi droned.

"A hundred!" Midna snapped impatiently. "Where are you little twerps at?" She floated off Link's back, into the trees. "Come on, Navi, let's check up here. The ground pounders can take care of things down there."

Franz had dismounted Epona and was checking around the base of the trees. A wooden puppet fell down in front of him, and he yelled, jumping backwards and drawing his sword.

Link nosed it. "It's not one of them. Even in disguise." He sniffed. He could smell one over near a large rock. He walked all around it, but found nothing. He barked.

Franz came running. "You found one?" Link scratched at the rock and tried to roll it away with his shoulder. Franz stopped him. "Allow me." He was better formed to roll the rock away, and did so after much effort.

A Skull Kid was curled in a hole under the rock. He made as if to run, but Link pounced on him and pinned him to the ground. "I surrender!"

Link growled and left it to look for more.

Navi yelled. "Found one! Help, Midna!" Link looked up. There were probably more up there.

Franz poked a bush with his sword. "I really don't know how I'm supposed to help here. Just call me if you find another one, I guess." Another wooden puppet dropped in front of him, and this time he only started and shoved it impatiently out of the way with his sword.

"One minute," Link said. "Epona, hold still."

"Wait, what are you doing?" his horse neighed in alarm, but Link had already used her back as a stepping stone into the trees.

Franz had his back to the puppet, and it was moving stealthily towards him. Epona pawed the ground for a moment, and then charged at it. The prince turned in time to see the warhorse charging at him, and stumbled backwards with a yell. Epona bulled the puppet into him, and it changed into a Skull Kid with a pop. Franz grabbed it and held on. "Got you!"

Midna came floating to the ground with a Skull Kid tangled in her hair. "One more. How much longer do we have, Navi?"

"Two minutes," Navi said. "Link? Where did you go?"

He couldn't bark. He was following a scent trail stealthily through the middle canopy, balancing on branches. A few seconds later, he heard a giggle and saw a moving shadow, and knew that the Skull Kid knew he was there. He abandoned all pretence at stealth and jumped forward, leaping from tree to tree. He was getting higher, and prayed to Din that he didn't fall. It was a long way to the ground.

Navi and Midna had heard it, and they too were on the trail.

It was right in front of him, swinging away, taunting him with its superiority in the trees. The monkeys who lived in Faron Woods would have been helpful about now, he thought, as he lunged for it time and again and missed.

It pulled a silly face, openly taunting him. But it paused for a moment too long, and he pounced on it, sending them both crashing to the forest far below.

He landed on it, knocking the wind out of both of them. It had cushioned his fall, and Skull Kids were too durable to be killed by a fall from a tree.

He growled in its face.

"Okay! Okay! You win. Don't eat me, that wasn't part of the deal!"

Link pulled back and let it up. As if he wanted to eat a Skull Kid.

The vines pulled back from the exits to the courtyard, and their way ahead was clear.

Link sighed and turned to Midna.

"Yeah, I agree," she said. "That was a stupid waste of time."

"They're actually not that bad," Navi said. "We kind of like playing with them. Just… not right now, when we're in such a hurry!"

"I don't like them at all," Epona said to Link. "I know that other one was possessed by an evil spirit, but I really don't like bottomless pits!"

"At least you ended up with Romani and Cremia," Link reminded her. "I think you're a bit big to play with them now, anyway."

He led them into the next courtyard – it seemed to be part of an ancient complex – and started.

There stood the Temple of Time, all right. But it looked just as ancient as the forest around them, as if it had always been there.

"Whoa," Navi said. "Wait. What happened?"

That was just what he was thinking. The Temple stood roofless, its windows bare of glass, moss and vines embracing its stones. He could barely make out the Triforce over the front door, which was of stone as it had always been, but now it was crumbling.

"Do you think we'll be able to get in?" Franz asked doubtfully. "That doesn't look like it's going open."

Well, all they could do was try. And if the door was blocked, they could probably find another opening that he could get through.

He went up to the door and studied it for a moment, then pushed it experimentally with a paw.

The Triforce on the back of his paw glowed, and the door glowed, and it began to move. Midna shielded her eyes as it slowly ground open.

When the light died, Link moved forward slowly. The inside was just as worn and old as the exterior. The flagstones were chipped and moss-covered, no longer polished. There was no carpet runner on the floor, of course. There was the altar where he had placed the three Spiritual Stones, crumbling at the edges. He looked up and saw clouds and sky instead of vaulted ceiling.

"Wow," Navi said again. "I'm sure the Goddesses had their reasons, but this is kind of… sad."

"What do you mean?" Franz asked.

"We were here when this place was in the middle of Hyrule Castle Town," she explained. "It looked… well, not new, but it wasn't falling apart."

It was sad, Link thought. Melancholy was perhaps a better word.

And then the sunlight slanted down through the empty windows onto a patch of moss where two brightly coloured birds were playing. Perhaps not that sad, after all.

Confidently, he trotted past the altar and into the back room. The Door of Time was wide open, and he took that as a good sign. Franz and Epona followed more slowly.

There was the Master Sword. It was unchanged since last he had seen it, since he had returned it to its place ten years before and left once again as a child. Its purple hilt and blue-silver blade glittered in the dappled light filtering through the trees around the Temple.

As he approached it, it began to glow, and then it shot out an explosion of energy. Midna was knocked from his back with a cry, and a howling wind from the sword blasted him. Leaves whipped past him. Franz covered his face from the wind, peering beneath his arm.

Link hung on in spite of the wind that threatened to knock him from his feet. He pressed a few steps closer, and then let out a defiant roar as he felt the power from the Master Sword tearing the evil magic from his body.

He found himself on his hands and knees, and stood slowly as the wind began to die around him. He was back in his green Kokiri tunic, although last he had checked he had been wearing the Zora tunic. Well, he wasn't going to complain – the Kokiri tunic was better for the forest anyway.

He reached out slowly with his left hand and wrapped it around the hilt of the Master Sword. It was warm, as if he had only just let go of it a moment ago.

With a smooth motion, he drew the sword from its plinth and held it over his head. It flashed in the sun, and there came an answering pulse from the Triforce on his hand. Its weight fit comfortably into his hand as if it were made for him.

He smiled up at its beauty. Now evil would have to run and hide from him.

"Wow," Navi breathed from behind him. Slowly, she fluttered up to his shoulder. "You… you're back."

He turned and looked at his companions. Franz still had his arm half-shielding his face, as if he wasn't sure it was safe to move yet. Epona tossed her head with excitement. Midna was tossing a small jagged black stone in the air and catching it again, staring thoughtfully at him.

"Yeah," he said to Navi, meeting her gaze. "I am." He bent and found the Master Sword's scabbard among the debris at the foot of the Pedestal of Time, and strapped it to his back where his own sword normally rested. He sheathed the Master Sword with a click. "It feels good."

Midna came up to him with one arched eyebrow. "I managed to catch that evil magic as it shed off you. Here it is. Don't touch it! I think it will turn you back into a wolf." She grinned wickedly. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"We should keep it, so he can turn into a wolf whenever he likes?" Navi asked.

"Yes!" Midna exclaimed, and shivered in glee. "We'll turn Zant's own magic against him. It's delicious!"

"Thanks, Midna," Link said. "I'd rather not use it if I can help it, but you're right. It will be helpful."

Epona trotted up behind Midna and wickered. "Hello, girl," Link said to her, and hugged her nose. "I know I've worried you over the last few years. It won't happen any more. Thanks for being the best horse in Hyrule." She snorted in his ear and nuzzled his cheek, and he laughed.

Franz had straightened, all uncertainty gone from his own face, and as Link turned to him, he bowed. "Welcome back to your true form, Sir Link. It sincerely is an honour to accompany you."

Link laughed self-consciously. "Thanks." He held out his hand and Franz shook it. "I'm glad you're with us, too."

"Ha," Navi said. "Wait until we get to the fun parts!" She flew in circles around Link's head. "Oooh, this is so exciting! You look so much better than you've been looking, for… years! You look like you could fight three Ganondorfs at once!"

He snorted. "Maybe. But let's hope that scenario doesn't arise." He glanced down at the Triforce on his left hand, and resolved to listen to it more often. What was past, was past. Now it was time to secure the future. The Triforce and the Master Sword had given him a fresh start. He wouldn't waste it.

He looked around at them, and took a deep breath. He couldn't help the broad smile on his face. "Let's go set things right in Hyrule!"

.

He fell in with Franz on the way back, leading Epona by the bridle. "So, we've been introduced, but I still know very little about you."

"I have the advantage, then, because I have learned a great deal about you," the prince answered. "But I can tell you anything you wish to know."

"Well… I'm not even sure where to start. Tell me about your training?"

"My… you mean my martial arts training?" Link nodded, and Franz looked off into the distance. "Well, as a youngest son, I have very little in the way of courtly responsibilities besides entertaining visiting dignitaries and looking pretty at functions. This gives me plenty of time to practice my fighting. I began at a young age, though it did not become a passion until my teens. The captain of the guard himself taught me to hold a sword, and to ride a horse. One of my bodyguard – now passed on, rest his soul – taught me to shoot a bow. I'm perhaps not the best soldier, but I can hold my own against any knight in fair fight." His brow furrowed. "I understand that we might not be facing a fair fight. But I will do my best by my teachers, and I hope to show you that I am not a pushover just because I'm a prince."

"I would never suspect that of anyone just because they're royalty," Link said. "Of course, the only other royalty I know is Zelda, and she's… active, let's say. I gather it's not normal for the royalty to be quite so active."

"I heard a rumour she disguised herself as a man for seven years," Franz said. "Is there truth to that?"

Link grinned. "Very much so. She took the name Sheik, because her bodyguard Impa is the last of the Sheikah, and protected what she could of the kingdom in her ninja disguise. I certainly never guessed Sheik was Zelda until she revealed herself at the very end."

"But she's so gracious," Franz said. "And beautiful. Her letters really don't do her justice." Link glanced at him through the corner of his eyes, and saw Franz was blushing gently. He smiled at that.

"No, she is a wonderful princess, from the little that I know of her," Link said. "I kind of prefer running into Sheik at random times and places around Hyrule. He… we still call him he… seems very… laid-back. Like a Zora, although without the slang. And he can _fight_."

"Interesting," Midna said. "I would never have guessed it of her. So why didn't she do that this time? Slip into her alter-ego, and escape from Zant?"

Link shrugged. "I imagine he was holding Hyrule hostage for her. If she ran away, he would do terrible things to… Hyrule…"

Navi had put the dots together at the same time as he did. "We can't dawdle even now that we have the Master Sword."

"Midna, how far is our next destination?"

She looked down at him from Epona's head, and her mouth turned down. "The Arbiter's Grounds. I don't have enough power to move all the way there, not anymore. I barely managed to teleport all of us – except the horse – out of Hyrule Castle. But once we get there, I can help more."

"Where's that?" Link asked.

Midna shrugged. "In the far west reaches of your land, in a big deserty place."

"The Gerudo Desert?" Link guessed, and looked at Navi.

"That's… going to be… maybe two days journey," Navi said. "We'll make it back to Kokiri Village by nightfall, and then it's another day's journey to Hyrule Castle, unless you want to take a shortcut across the south Field, in which case it would probably be a day and a half. And even then, you have to get across the desert. This will take a while."

Midna calculated. "It might be faster for us if we leave Franz behind – sorry, kid – and have you ride across the south of Hyrule Field, Link."

"I can go get my horse," Franz said. "I'll catch up to you."

"Alone?" Link said. "I trust in your competence, but you're not going without any help whatsoever."

"Well, if it comes to that, Navi could go with him… well, actually, come to think of it, she could come with you," Midna mused, as if talking to herself.

Link frowned at her. "Midna, were are we going?"

She glanced at him and then away. "I… It's a bit of a story. Can it wait? It's very personal and I'm not sure how you'll take it."

"We're all friends here," Navi told her, "and have you known Link to get mad at anything?"

Midna chuckled. "Oh, he was mad when we first met. Heeheehee. But getting turned into a wolf when you're not expecting it will do that to you. And then getting imprisoned."

"Now that sounds like a story that you can tell," Franz said. "How did you all meet?"

Link, Navi, and Midna looked at each other, and then Navi and Midna started talking at once.

Midna soon let Navi go first, as she was keen to start the story from the day that she had come to twelve-year-old Link and begun guiding him on his way to stop Ganondorf. She was a bit hazier about the adventures in the ten years since that she hadn't been on, and spoke delicately about his nightmares and other assorted problems that appeared before he returned to Hyrule. Then Midna picked up the tale and explained how she had met Link in the dungeons of Hyrule Castle, and what Link had done so far.

Link was surprised. He hadn't thought she was paying such attention when he was in the Light parts of Hyrule. He kept quiet, as his two friends were good story-tellers and anything he said would probably just ruin it.

"That sounds fascinating," Franz said when they were all done. "You have certainly had an exciting life. And you're all very unique individuals."

Navi flopped on Link's head and shrugged. "Destiny is weird like that sometimes."

"Sometimes I could stand to be a little less destined," Link grumbled, and his fairy giggled.

Franz was thinking. "You said you had ancestors named Link?"

"I don't know much about my ancestors, or even if the previous Links are related to me. I don't even know who my parents were. I'd be curious, of course, even though the Great Deku Tree was my adopted father. But I'll probably never find out."

"What about that weird ghost you met on Koholint?" Navi said. "You said you felt like he might be part of your past that you just can't remember because you were too young to."

"Well a ghost within a dream, even an enchanted life-like dream, is not much to go on, is it?" Link said. "And I don't even remember its name, or if it was male or female."

Navi shrugged again. "All right. Were you going to say something about Link's ancestors, Franz?"

"Yes. You see, I was thinking this morning… You remember when I said there was some Hyrulean blood in the Labrynnan line?"

"Yes…? You think it's related to the last Link?"

"Definitely. You see, one of the sons of Lord Raven of Hyrule married the daughter of Queen Anbi, or maybe Ambi, the scholars can't agree on that. In any case, is it not fact that Lord Raven was the ancestor of the last famous Hero? The one who defeated Agahnim, Onox, and Veran?"

"I don't know any of those names," Link confessed. "I know so little about my own country, about my own legends… I've picked up a bit, but I still don't know nearly enough."

Franz nodded understandingly. "You really ought to learn. We Labrynnans have to learn about Link the Indomitable Youth, because we have a statue to him right outside the castle in the city square. But I suppose, growing up in the forest, you never had to go to school."

"No, I didn't. I'm probably very stupid in a lot of ways," Link joked.

"Well, then I have some stories for you."

.

They returned to Kokiri Village a few hours later, and Saria was thrilled to see him in his own form again, and hugged him like she wasn't going to let go. But at last she did, still bouncing with delight, while the Kokiri fed them supper and put them up for the night for the second night in a row. He was happy to be able to do his sword exercises before bed again.

His sleep was dreamless and untroubled, and he woke to the sound of birdsong and sunlight just beginning to creep through the window. He looked up at his bed and saw a mess of red hair at one end. He had insisted Franz take the bed.

Their talk the day before had been fascinating, although Navi had teased them for being history geeks. Franz, in his recounting, had explained how the royal family of Labrynna had abdicated for several centuries before becoming re-established only two centuries ago, all without breaking the bloodline that had come down from long before Queen Anbi. Or Ambi. And Link had learned a lot about what previous Heroes of Hyrule had done, things he had only learned by happenstance – such as reading faded carvings in the Shadow Temple, although he barely recalled what he had read there anymore. It had been ten years. As soon as the kingdom was restored, he was definitely going to ask Zelda to fill him in on the details. Or maybe Shad would be the one to ask. He didn't know if he wanted to read. Rana had said reading was a chore, and he didn't think dissimilarly.

He still didn't know what he felt for her, if he felt anything anymore. It was strange, after ten years of longing for her, if only to see her alive again. Well, she was alive, and now she hated him. Probably. He had treated her badly, even if he was confused. But what else would he have said?

Franz had talked to her, it was clear, but was hesitant to tell him anything that they talked about, though he insisted she didn't hate him. But if she was talking to Franz, that was good. If Naeri and Franz were there for her, she would be all right. Maybe she would even come to understand.

He would have to talk to her sometime and apologize, if nothing else. If she would even let him. More likely she would refuse to accept his apology and apologize to him instead. That was how it had gone when they were kids, at least.

Link rolled over, found an acorn wedged into the floorboards of his treehouse, and chucked it at Franz. "Time to get up," he called.

Franz rolled over with a surprisingly quick motion and glared at Link. "How dare you throw things at me."

"I'm the Hero," Link said lazily. "If I feel like throwing something at someone, it's probably a good idea."

Franz snorted, but couldn't keep a grin from creeping over his face. And then he yawned cavernously and stretched. "I suppose it is only fair, since I took your bed. But I am so tired, still…"

Link stood and offered him a hand. "You'll get used to it. I know you were obsessed with martial arts, but I bet you haven't been on the road, fighting for your life, for this long before."

"I've never fought for my life before," Franz said. "I'm glad my training has allowed me to keep it." He took Link's hand, stood, and stretched again. "Ow."

"Let's get breakfast and then decide where to go from here," Link said. "Maybe today Midna will fill us in on her secret plan."

.

Navi was already bothering Midna. "So, what did you mean when you first said I should go with Franz, but then you said I might be able to come after all?"

Midna pushed fried potatoes into the side of her mouth and glared at Navi. "Isn't it obvious? Also, I'm eating."

"Hello," Link said mildly as he and Franz joined the others on the grass below his house. "Is this about our destination?"

Midna looked at him and stopped stalling with a sigh. "Well, you see, there's Twilight where we're going. But now you have the Master Sword, which will protect you against it, at least. Not that Twilight is evil! But the sword still sheds enough Light that you'll stay human. And I think, since Navi is bound to you, she'll be all right, too."

"But not Franz or Epona."

"Well, we couldn't get a horse up there anyway."

"Up where?"

"Into the Arbiter's Grounds."

"Midna, could you start from the beginning?"

She rolled her eyes. "Men, always wanting the whole picture and nothing but the whole picture. All right. This is Hyrule, the Light World. There is another world, a Twilight world."

"That's where you come from?" Franz asked.

"I would think it obvious," Midna snipped. "Anyway, the only connection between them is in the Arbiter's Grounds. Which is in the desert. I can lead you there. But I don't think you'll be able to come, princey boy."

"I still want to," he said. "I can help. And I can guard the connection while you are inside."

"Without backup?" Link asked.

"Link," said Franz very seriously. "I don't think you understand what it means for me to follow you, to help you. You might find that strange, that a prince should wish to follow, but I am so excited by this destiny that precedes and follows you that I want to assist you in any way that I can. If you demand that I go back to Hyrule Castle and help the Resistance instead of helping you directly, I will, but I would really rather not."

His pale blue eyes looked earnestly into Link's dark blue ones, and the Hero sighed. "I guess you can come. But maybe Navi should stay with you."

"Why me?" Navi demanded. "Actually, I know. But I want to follow you, too."

"Groupies," Midna said.

"You're one of us," Navi told her.

"No, I'm the brains, Link's the brawn, and the rest of you are…"

"Decoys," Franz suggested, smiling.

"All right," Link said. "So, we're heading northwest to the Arbiter's Grounds, whatever those are, and first we'll stop at Hyrule Castle Town so Franz can get his horse. Once we get there, Midna and I go into the Twilight to stop Zant, and the rest of you guard the… I'm guessing it will be a portal of some kind. Makes sense?"

There was a chorus of agreement, and then everyone turned their attention to breakfast.

.

Two days later, half-way to the lake, Link saw the golden wolf following them at a distance. "Hang on," he called to the others. "Let's take a break here. I have to meet with my trainer."

"Your… oh," Navi said, having seen the wolf. "Yes, let's. You go on."

He jogged away from the others, who were setting up under one of the lone trees that dotted Hyrule Field, and waved to the wolf.

He blinked, and was standing in the spirit world. "Hello, Hero."

"Isn't that what I'm supposed to say to you?" said the Hero from the past. "I see you now wield the Master Sword."

"Yes," Link said, and drew it, admiring the way it shone even in the fog of the spirit world. "I… I feel much better about… about a lot of things, now."

"It shows already," said the Hero. "You look more like what I expected to see when I first met you. You stand taller, prouder, and your shoulders are looser. May I see it?"

Link handed it over, and was surprised when the Hero's shape changed from a skeleton to that of an old man, wrinkled and beardless, wearing a tunic in a peculiar style. He held the Master Sword with an air of familiarity, which Link supposed was only natural, considering he was also the Hero.

"Yes," said the Hero. "Still as beautiful as I remember."

Link smiled. "Who did you fight with it?"

The Hero's sharp blue eyes glazed over. "Many, many monsters, during my time to hold it, including Gannon himself. I only wielded it once before I sealed it away again, but during my life it was a turbulent period in Hyrule's history and it seemed like every few years some new threat would come along." He tapped the blade. "And to think, it was my first adventure that I held it. I was only ten. It was lighter, then. It is good to see it in action again."

"It hasn't faced much action yet this year," Link said. "A few Bokoblins today that thought we might be prey."

"Well, then," said the Hero, and faded back into a skeleton. He drew his sword. "Shall we continue with your training?"

For the first time in a long time, Link was almost happy. Hyrule Castle might be under an evil power, and Zelda might be missing, but he was giving his best against the best swordsman he had ever fought, and not doing too badly.

The Hero thought so, too. "Your skills are finally showing proper discipline, without losing any of the raw ferocity that has made you so effective so far. You now use your body properly, and you probably won't get any strain injuries later in life."

"Assuming I survive long enough to have a later life," Link joked.

The Hero snorted. "That's what I'm teaching you for, boy, is so you will survive to have a life."

"And I appreciate it," Link said. "Thank you."

"You are welcome," said the Hero.

And just as he turned away, and the world turned white in front of his eyes, before the real world could filter in, something… happened. He caught a brief glimpse of a small room, dark, wooden, with a bright window framed with white breezy curtains, and heard a voice saying "I love this little house…"

If it was a vision, it was over too quickly, and he found himself back in Hyrule Field, looking towards Faron Woods in the distance.

Navi came over to him. "Hey, Link, we're gonna cook some bacon for lunch, you want… Is something wrong?"

"No, no…" He wondered where he had heard those words before. Somewhere on his adventures, perhaps. He wondered if it was important, and put it in the back of his mind to remember later, if something connected to it came up.

.

They reached the lake in the early afternoon, and turned north to find a way through the hills into the desert.

"There should be a bridge across the river somewhere," Link said. "I hope."

"You haven't a clue, do you?" Midna demanded.

"Nope, not really," Navi said cheerfully.

"I wonder if I could… find a path more easily as a wolf," Link wondered.

"Only one way to find out!" Midna said, and before Link could even dismount from Epona, she had bonked him in the head with the Wolf Stone.

He yipped, startled, and fell from Epona's back heavily on the ground. Epona gave Midna a dirty look, which the imp girl probably missed completely.

"I don't remember this place at all, Master," Epona said uncertainly. "Otherwise I'd lead you there straight away. I remember the bridge! We made a good jump over it last time."

"We did, didn't we?" Link said. "I wonder if it's still there, or if anyone fixed it…" He put his nose to the ground. How was he going to track desert? Follow the scent of dryness?

"Look!" cried Franz, and pointed ahead. "There's Sir Auru!"

Link looked to Navi, and she helped him transform back into a human. "Do you think he knows the way in?"

"Only one way to find out," Navi said.

Auru saw them coming and waited. "Hello, hello! Good to see you looking better, miss," he said to Midna. "And you, young Link, and Prince Franz."

"Thanks," Link said. "Do you know how to get into the desert?"

"I might, yes. I was on my way to the lake to check on the Spirit's Spring. Shall we trade? News in exchange for guidance?"

"That sounds reasonable," Link said. "I thought the bridge to the desert was around here somewhere, but it seems that it's moved in the years I've been away."

Auru chuckled. "Follow me, lad. I'll get you where you need to go. Now, tell me, how was your investigation to Lake Hylia? I seem to recall that was where you were going, after a… a Shadow thing, wasn't it?"

Link told him the whole story, how he had fought the monster and run into Zant, and finally acquired the Master Sword. He also told him his worry that Zant might harm the people of Hyrule now that Zelda was gone. He told Auru the name of their destination, but not what they were planning to do there. He had a feeling Midna did not want many people to know about it.

Auru listened carefully. "This will be of great interest to the rest of our group. We thought Zant might turn belligerent at any time, and it is good to know that you share our opinion. I was actually going to the Lake to see what changes have happened since your visit. Ashei's gone a little further north, to investigate Snowpeak. The rest of the group is stocking up on weapons for possible defense against Zant's forces, although I believe Rusl is intending to join the outpost at Kakariko to be nearer his son."

"Good to know," Link said. "I'm not certain how long we'll be gone, but hopefully we'll be back soon to aid you."

Auru stopped. "Well, there's your bridge. Just cross it and head straight on. The Gerudo Fortress seems to have disappeared entirely, but there are still plenty of landmarks to guide you as long as you're not heading for the Spirit Temple. Oh, you do have water supplies, right?"

"Yes," Link said. "We filled up in the Faron Woods yesterday."

"All right then. Grace of the Goddesses be with you."

"Thanks, you too," Link answered. "Hey, look, Epona, the bridge is fixed now. You won't have to risk your life to get us across anymore."

She snorted and pranced across, head high, and he got the feeling she had wanted to show off her jumping skills again.

.

When they had begun to set up camp in the lee of an outcropping of rock, Midna sidled up to Link. "Hey, Link…"

"What is it?"

"Can I talk to you? Away from the others."

"Sure, one minute." He motioned to Navi to stay put, and followed Midna around the side of the outcropping.

"Well… you remember what the spirit said about the Fused Shadow?"

"You saw that?"

"Yeah, I did." Link flushed. "Oh, don't look like that. I know exactly what you were thinking, and I know exactly how it is. You're lucky I'm one of the few who can properly used the Fused Shadow without going crazy. But… what do you think happened to those sorcerers who tried to take over Hyrule with it?"

Link tried to remember what Lanayru had said. "They… well, the Fused Shadow was sealed away in various hidden places… I don't remember. Did she say? Were they killed?"

Midna thought for a moment. "I guess she didn't. They were not killed. Instead, they were driven across Hyrule. They almost managed to escape… until they were tricked and chased into the Arbiter's Grounds, which is a great prison." She got a hold of her emotions with an effort. "I'm sorry. I forget sometimes that I don't hate you Light worlders for something that happened centuries ago."

"If it's any consolation, I'm going to hear you out, no matter what you say, and then I'll probably apologize profusely, although I had no responsibility for something that happened in the time of my distant ancestors."

She smiled briefly. "The place they ended up was another world entirely… the antithesis of Hyrule, where the sun shines bright. Over the years, they faded, becoming creatures of shadow, unable to live in the Light, for there was no way back to Hyrule from that world. They flitted in the half-light of dusk that was life's constant there, living in the shadows of a shadow world."

She paused, and her face contorted briefly with an old bitterness. "Do you understand what I am now, Link? I'm the descendent of those banished sorcerers!"

"I'm sorry," he said.

She shook her head. "I know. But it isn't a bad thing anymore, except for the… the shame, and even that we have all but forgotten between each other. It is a peaceful place there, in the Twilight, and the Twili are a peaceful people. At least, until Zant changed everything." She snarled his name. "He must have gained an evil power from outside our people somehow. In any case, I was sent from there, and could no longer get in without his help. I quickly learned to survive in the Light world. It was not something most of the Twili could do with ease, so I'm lucky, I guess."

She sighed, floating back and forth in the air in front of him. "I don't know how he sent me here, or how he came through himself. But… there is a way back, if I know my history correctly. There is a thing called the Mirror of Twilight, a link between this world and that one."

"You asked Zelda about it."

"I hoped that she would know, being the Princess, and the holder of the Triforce of Wisdom, and all that. But instead she let me guide you personally, since I have a vague idea where it might be. And what might be on the other side of it."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we're going to come out somewhere in the Twilight Realm, which will correspond to here. The Twilight Palace and your Hyrule Castle sit on the same ground in different… dimensions. I think, since the Mirror is in the Arbiter's Grounds, which are in the Desert, which is in the west, we'll probably end up in the Haned Woods. From there, I can transport us closer to the Palace."

"And Franz and Navi will guard the exit, like we planned yesterday. …May I tell them, now?"

"Yeah. I'm going to… go sit over here."

"Come back when you're ready."


	12. Chapter 12: Cuccoos Coming Home to Roost

Chapter 12: Cuccoos Coming Home to Roost

.

Epona did not like the desert sand, he was sure of that. She trotted along gamely enough, but the way it shifted under her hooves couldn't have been comfortable. Both he and Franz had dismounted from their horses and were leading them by the bridle. Link wondered if he would do better as a wolf than a human, but wasn't about to transform to avoid spooking Franz's horse.

The sun beat down on them, and both men had improvised head coverings to protect them from the light and from the irritating blowing sand. Midna was hiding in Link's shadow, safely incorporeal, and Navi was impervious to it all. There wasn't much talking. It was hard to do and wasted energy.

"We'll have to leave the horses somewhere," Navi said. "Epona we can trust to take care of herself, but I'm not sure about Pwin. Can't we find a cave somewhere safe?"

"Sounds good," Link said shortly. "Want to go find one?"

"Okay! Don't wander off your course, or I'll never find you again!" She zoomed away into the desert.

Their other problem was water. Link had learned how to keep hydrated in the desert long ago, and how to ration his water. They weren't beginning to run out, not yet, but there was only so much before they would be at the halfway point, and they would need some for the trip back. He couldn't rely on finding a spring, not when he didn't know the place.

Franz, completely out of his depth, followed his lead.

In half an hour, Navi returned. "I found a place! And you'll never guess what's inside!"

"Great Fairy?"

"Noooo… maybe. This way! I'll show you."

It took them an hour to cover the same ground, but at the end of it, they stood in front of a dark crevice in the side of a cliff. Link was the first to move, leading Epona up to the opening.

He couldn't see much inside at first. As his eyes adjusted to the dim light, he pulled his head covering off and took a deep breath. There was a torch in the far corner, and bales and rolls scattered around… someone was obviously living here.

A wild screech of a warcry erupted behind him, and he duck, whirled, and drew his sword.

Nabooru skidded to a halt just in front of him, hands on hips, cackling at the look on his face. "Ha! Startled you good, didn't I!"

"Hello," Link said. "It's good to see you again."

"Likewise, handsome." She stepped forward and hugged him, heedless of the fact he hadn't sheathed his sword yet. He awkwardly hugged her back with one arm. "So, what have you been up to these last three years? You should have been back ages ago! The whole place has gone to ruin again!"

"Not completely," Link protested. "I'm working on it. Although, what are you doing all the way out here?" Gerudo women were beginning to come out of hiding around the cave. "Navi, did you have anything to do with this?"

She giggled, and that was his answer.

He smirked chidingly at Nabooru, who was completely unfazed. "Oh, you uptight Hylians. It was a joke! A good one, too. I like the way your fairy friend thinks. But to answer your question, no, we're not out in the desert because of that stupid invasion that popped up a couple weeks ago. More because of what Ganondork did to our reputation. We're supposed to be nomads and hunters, not bandits and call girls. So we abandoned our fortress and came out here. It's been good for us."

"I see," Link said. "One minute. I have a companion outside, and he's probably wondering what's going on."

He went to the cave entrance and called Franz in. "There's an old friend of mine in here. Have you met any Gerudo before?"

"I haven't had the pleasure," Franz said hesitantly as he, too, pulled off his head covering and looked around at the red-haired women with an expression of curiosity. "I've read about them, of course, how Gerudo, the daughter of one of the Hyrulean Sages, rebelled against her father and came to live her life free in the desert… and naturally I know about the troubles Hyrule had with Ganondorf recently."

Nabooru was looking at Franz with undisguised interest. "He's cute. And a red-head, to boot. Do you think we're related?"

"I think it's somewhat unlikely that the Prince of Labrynna is anything more than distantly related to… Gerudo, daughter of a Sage," Link answered. "Franz, this is Nabooru, the Sage of Spirit. Nabooru, this is Prince Franz. He's come a long way to offer his aid to Hyrule. I have another introduction to make, if she's interested…"

Midna popped out of the ground. "Greetings. I am Midna."

"You're funny," Nabooru said bluntly. "So what brings _you_ out here, handsome?"

"We're looking for a place called the Arbiter's Grounds," Link said. "But I was hoping to leave our horses somewhere safe before we go there."

"And so you sent Navi looking for a place."

"Yes."

Nabooru looked at him oddly. "What business do you have in the Arbiter's Grounds? Don't you know how haunted that place is?"

"I have no idea how haunted it is," Link protested. "I never heard of it before." Somewhere behind him, Franz was having to fend off curious Gerudo women, who all seemed obsessed with his long red hair.

"It's very haunted," Nabooru said. "I haven't been in the Shadow Temple, but I'd wager this place could give that one a run for its money. Except being hot instead of cold."

"You've been in the Arbiter's Grounds?" Link asked.

The Sage hesitated. "Yes."

"It wasn't good?"

"No. But I'm not going to dissuade you. I know you're the kind of man who goes and does whatever he feels he has to, even if it's stupid."

"What do you know about the Mirror of Twilight?" Midna asked.

"Is that what you're after?" Nabooru asked, evading the question. "I see. I'll tell you a bit about the place. Let's go sit down."

She led them to an alcove with silk curtains and fluffy pillows. Link hooked an arm around Franz and dragged him more than willingly away from his new admirers.

Nabooru sat cross-legged on the ground. "Deep in the mists of time, it is said that there was a beautiful oasis where the Arbiter's Grounds now stand. Originally, it was a tourist resort. But the water began to dry up, and the place changed irrevocably when some king used it as a prison for a bunch of evil sorcerers that just couldn't be contained anywhere else" Midna stirred, looking irritably down on Nabooru. "A brief line of wicked kings used it as a prison and a weapon of fear after that. When my ancestor, Gerudo, ran away to the desert, one of the first things she did was to free its inmates. That put a stop to its use for a while. As the years passed, a few of the better kings used it again as a prison, only they put the truly wicked in there this time. The years passed uneventfully, until vengeful spirits of the executed began to cause trouble. It ultimately ended in an undead outbreak, and the prison has stood empty but haunted for centuries. Except for that time when we went in."

"I see," Link said. "The undead are still around, I assume."

"Is that going to be a problem?" Franz asked.

"How many dead people have you seen?" Link asked in return.

Franz looked uncertain, but chased the expression from his face with determination. "I know hunting is not the same. Killing monsters is not the same. But I won't falter."

"Don't let pride get in your way," Link said gravely. "I don't want you to feel coerced by your own will."

"You don't need to warn me," Franz said. "I chose this. My pride is…"

"A huge stick up your butt," Nabooru interjected. "You've never seen real combat. You've never seen a reanimated skeleton, or a zombie. If Link thinks you're good to go, I'm not gonna stop you. But he's right. You might not be ready for this."

Franz flushed angrily. "My lady, I will see this through."

"Ooh," Nabooru said, and fluttered her eyelashes at Link. "Despite the stick up his butt, he's cute when he's mad. And he's polite, too."

Link got up. "So, the place is filled with undead, and the Mirror of Twilight is on top?"

"Yeah. And it still works."

"How do you know that?"

She averted her eyes. "I don't want to talk about it. I suppose I have to. We… we found Ganondorf still alive, even after all you did to him. We took him there. It was my idea; I knew the history of the place. So did Rauru. We chained him up to the big block of stone that's up top there, and Rauru produced some kind of light sword to kill him with. Except… it didn't work."

"It didn't?" Link exclaimed. "He's still alive?"

"I don't know," Nabooru said flatly. "He… he pulled free, pulled the sword out of his own gut, and… he killed Ruto."

"No!" Navi cried. "I mean, she was annoying, but… she can't be dead! What happened to the Sage of Water?"

"I don't know that either," Nabooru said. "Rauru was the one who used the Mirror. Ganondorf was caught in the beam, just as Beardy intended, and sent off… somewhere. Anywhere but here. But of course it can't bring Ruto back."

"Why didn't anyone say anything about this before?" Link demanded.

"No one knows except the remaining Sages," Nabooru said. "And Ruto's boyfriend. Darunia thought we should tell him. Since then… well, I don't know."

"I guess it never came up," Link said, sitting down again heavily and scrubbing his hands over his face. "Zelda was in a hurry the brief times I saw her… and Saria… well, it just never came up. Ruto… I can't… I can't process that."

"Wait," Midna said. "You sent this evil, powerful man to _my world_?"

"Well, I didn't, but if your world is what's on the other side of that mirror, then yeah, we did."

Navi fluttered up in distress. "That must be how Zant got so much power!"

Link scrambled to his feet. "We have to stop him. We have to get there, right now. I have the Master Sword. I can defeat him again. And make sure he never comes back."

Nabooru looked up at him, then got to her feet as well. "You're right. This whole thing has been a huge mess. I'll come with you, help you put it right."

"Thank you," Link said. "And we can leave our horses here?"

"You certainly can. That Epona beast of your is still a beautiful creature… wish we had horses like her! I'll just need a few moments to give some orders, and then we'll be off."

.

They arrived at Arbiter's Grounds around midday and found their way blocked.

"What is all this?" Nabooru exclaimed in a rage, looking down at the ramshackle wooden structures that had sprung up in front of the ancient stone structure. The Arbiter's Grounds did look like a coliseum, with six massive pillars set in a circle around a ring-shaped wall of arches.

"Moblins, looks like," Navi answered, hovering far above them. "You haven't been here in a while?"

"No. These animals! This is not a place they should be, defiling it with their filth."

"You're not going to attack them head on with only… five of us," Midna said. "At least, you better not."

Nabooru smirked over her shoulder at the imp girl. "I'm not the Sage of Spirit for nothing. The desert wind is mine to command. But… here's the plan. You four go on ahead inside, I fight them, and join you later."

"First we have to get inside," pointed out Franz. Nabooru had given him a Gerudo bow and he was toying with it, adjusting the tension.

"Not a problem," Link said. "I can find a path. Midna?"

She turned him into a wolf, and Nabooru jumped. Then she laughed. "I always knew you were a wolf at heart, handsome. Lead on."

They got about halfway across the Moblin camp when Link turned a corner and came face-to-face with a boar. He froze. "Easy there," he said to it. "Just passing through."

"Huh? What's that? Who's there?" the boar demanded. "Where are you? What are you?" It was getting very worked up, squinting all around, and Link would have put his paw to his head if his joints worked that way. Instead, he shook his head backed up around the corner again. Franz put a hand on his head.

"We're not going that way?" he whispered.

The boar bellowed and charged, knocking down a wall and running over an unlucky Bokoblin.

"Looks like we are now," Midna said from her perch on Link's back. "If that didn't bring the whole camp down on us."

But the camp stayed quiet. Link supposed their boars were normally skittish.

No, the real trouble came when they had successfully stealthed their way to the other side of the camp and found a large, locked gate in their way. It was too high to climb.

Midna looked around. "I could rip it off its hinges… Maybe… But that would bring every monster in the place running, and I wouldn't have enough energy to fight for a while after that."

Link glanced at Navi and turned back into a human. "Why not get one of the boars to knock it down for us? After all, that's how this whole thing started for me."

Navi snorted. "You after poetic justice?"

"Just taking inspiration where I can find it."

"All right," Nabooru said. "I like this idea. How do we implement it?"

"Well, first we find a boar… then I coax it over here in my wolf form, make it mad, and run like a Keese on fire."

"Simple enough," Navi said. "I'll help you find a boar. Let's go!"

"You are all crazy," Franz said.

Nabooru put a hand on his shoulder. "You and me are gonna wait right here, kiddo."

Link, again a wolf, padded forward among the shabby huts. The sand scrunched softly under his feet.

Navi came back. "There's a potential target just this way. It might be a challenge to get to if it only charges in a straight line. But we can…"

"Turn around," Midna hissed at her, as Link jumped for the shadows to hide.

The chief Moblin, on his boar, had appeared from behind a hut. He looked rather worse for wear. It was too late to silence her, and he turned in their direction. Link could see the astonishment on his face.

"Well," Midna said, with a sly grin. "This will do just as well, hmmm?"

Link did not grin, but stepped out of the shadows into the full sight of the Moblin. He had to induce him to charge.

It wasn't necessary to induce anything. The Moblin growled and spurred his boar. Link turned and sprinted for the gate. The Moblin roared at his retreat. The ground shook under the boar's hooves.

He glanced around, and saw the boar was closer than he had thought. Navi was screaming at him, but he couldn't hear her, and Midna was grimly silent. He felt the boar right on his heels…

He tried to leap sideways out of the boar's path, and ended up sprawled full on its snout as it picked him up and they all tumbled into the gate together. It collapsed with a splintering crash.

Link was back in his human form before they hit the ground, but then he and the Moblin were tumbling off the boar together, rolling across the hot sand. Luckily for him, he ended up on top of the Moblin, and not underneath. He punched the Moblin twice in the face and rolled away. Nothing seemed to be broken, but he was bruised and breathless nonetheless.

He drew his sword and shield as the Moblin pulled his bulk to standing. The boar had run up towards the temple, losing steam the closer it got.

Link jumped at the Moblin and heard Navi screech again. "Arrows!" Instead of continuing his attack, he rolled to the side and came up in a crouch. Two arrows were embedded in the sand where he had just been. He looked up and saw Bokoblin archers on crude watchtowers at the far end of the camp, fitting more arrows to their bows.

The Moblin was stomping towards him.

"Forget him!" Nabooru cried, stepping in front of him and drawing the twin scimitars strapped to her back. "You four get into the prison! Just like we planned!"

"Can you beat this guy?" Link yelled back, retreating slowly with Franz at his side.

Nabooru grinned and clashed her scimitars together, the blue glow of Nayru's Love appearing around her. "I don't even have to. Get going, morons!"

Link turned and ran for the temple as the wind began to pick up.

The two men and the fairy made it inside just as the wind began to screech among the stones. The sand was so dense Link couldn't see more than a foot through it.

Franz was panting. "What a brave lady."

"She certainly is," Link agreed. "Drink?"

"Yes."

Midna showed herself. "She's gonna be okay, right?"

"I trust her," Link said. "She's the Desert Sage. I think this wind is of her making, which means she'll be fine in the middle of it. For now, we have to press on."

"You're concerned?" Navi teased Midna.

Midna glanced sidelong at the fairy. "She intrigues me. Her history seems… familiar, from how you described it."

"What, a natural leader forced to sit by while the official jumpstart makes a mess of her people? And then coming in to pick up the pieces afterwards and return the people to their proper state?"

Midna made a smug face and disappeared.

Link had only been half paying attention. Instead, he was looking around at the worn walls and the magic torches that still lit the dark entrance hall. It was a lot cooler inside, for which he was thankful. He was already soaked in several days worth of sweat, and his clothes were starting to stick to him. Franz followed him as he slowly walked down its length to the corridor at the far end. "Be on your guard."

"Right," Franz said, drawing his sword. Link could tell he was nervous, and he didn't blame him. For all his brave words, this was Franz's first dungeon crawl, and if there were undead around, it would probably be one of the spookier ones he could have picked. The symbol of the Royal Family of Hyrule being engraved everywhere was no comfort.

The next room had a floor made of deep, soft sand. "Careful," Link said. "It's possible to sink until you suffocate in sand like this."

"Just keep moving?" Franz asked, and Link nodded.

Then Franz screamed. Link whirled, and saw him hacking frantically at the sand that was now up to his shins. Bony arms stretched out of it, grabbing at him.

"Stay calm!" Link shouted. "Just try to get back to solid ground! I'm on my way." He waded as fast as he could through the loose sand as Franz's flailing only got him stuck deeper in it. "Midna, can you grab him?"

"Here goes," she grunted, and wrapped her hair around Franz, yanking him backwards. He stumbled and sat down hard on flagstones as Link came to the little knot of skeletons and began slicing at them. "Hey, Link, maybe that was a bad idea."

Link dispatched the last of the skeletons and looked up. "What was? Ooooooh drat."

Franz was facing down twenty Stalfos with spears. Link saw his shoulders trembling. "Get me over there, Midna!" She obliged, pulling Link to stand beside Franz.

The sight of Link appearing beside him galvanized Franz into action and he brought his sword up, still shaking, but defiant.

"Stay low," Link advised him. "They'll only attack one or two at a time, but it's much easier to dodge when you don't know which one's going to attack next."

"I'm not a novice," Franz grumbled.

"Can I borrow these?" Midna asked. "Thanks."

"Borrow – gah – what?" Link demanded, taking a cut on his right arm in favour of stabbing a Stalfos in the head.

A few seconds later, something in front of him exploded, and Stalfos bits flew past him. He and Franz were knocked backwards, off their feet. "Midna! What was that?"

"Oh, just a bomb. Don't get excited."

Link rolled, twisted, and got back to his feet, snapping a spear that was trying to poke at Franz. "We're going to have a talk about communication and strategy later. I'll let Navi give it to you." But most of the skeletons had been cleared out, their old fragile bones disintegrating in the blast of the bomb, so he couldn't complain too much.

Franz had finally got a hold of himself and was putting his sword to good use. Link felt for his rhythm and joined in. It wasn't smooth, not yet, but they got the job done.

When the last Stalfos had fallen, Link turned to Franz. "You all right?"

He nodded, but his eyes were still wide and his pupils were dialated.

"You want to sit down?"

"I'm good," Franz snapped. "I can handle it."

"I know. But you're allowed to take a moment anyway."

Franz sighed and his head dropped. "Skeletons aren't supposed to move," he muttered.

"Nope," Navi said. "I hate that. You come into a room, and at first there's nothing there, and then…"

"All right, Navi," Link said. "That is the opposite of helping."

And Franz took another breath and looked at the ceiling. "And you didn't even blink."

"I've been doing this for a very long time," Link said. "I've faced down several armies' worth of these things. When you have, you won't blink either."

"Consider this your crash course in tempering the steel of your nerves," Navi said. "And that was a horribly mixed metaphor. I'm sorry."

Franz managed a smile. "I won't be taken unawares next time. Let's continue."

They made it past a few minor traps to a large room with a huge gate at the back, leading into a dark narrow corridor. Four blue torches glowed at the four corners of the room.

At least, they did, until four Poes gathered them up and scattered. The gate slammed shut, raising a cloud of dust.

Link frowned. "Oh, come on," he called to the Poes vanishing through the walls. "I've done this once in my life already, and we're doing it again?"

"There's ghosts, too?" Franz asked.

"Nabooru did say it was haunted," Navi said. "But yeah, do you think it's the same ghosts as last time?"

"I have no idea and I don't care. Let's go this way first and see if we can find any."

They reached the end of the first corridor. Two Stalfos attacked them, but were taken care of without any problem.

Then something rose up before them, from a pile of sand, and before Link could swing at it, it gave a hideous, soul-chilling screech. Franz shrieked in unabashed fear and fell back, and even Link felt the hair on the back of his neck rise and hesitated to strike.

The desiccated Redead he faced raised a large square sword to attack, and he slashed its body from bottom to top before it could bring the heavy thing down on him. It hadn't been expecting him to attack so soon, or so quickly, and gave another ghastly shriek before he cut off its head.

"You better come quick!" Navi called, and Link turned and hurried to where Franz lay huddled in a corner, hyperventilating.

"It's okay," Link said, helping him sit up. "It's all right. Breathe."

Franz clung to his shirtfront with a deathgrip. "M-m-maybe I sh-should g-go back. N-Nabooru was right."

"No, we can't," Link told him, hand on his shoulder. "You can't go back now. You can do this. The dead aren't any more of a threat than the living as long as you stab them enough times."

Franz managed a short laugh and made an effort to calm his breathing.

"Link?" he asked very softly. "Please don't… don't tell Nabooru…"

"I won't tell anyone," Link promised. "And neither will Navi or Midna. But you have to get up and keep going. When you're ready."

Franz nodded violently. "I thank you." He let go of Link's collar, finally, and straightened up a bit, slowing his breathing even more. "I'm sorry."

"It's all right."

The prince huffed one last deep breath, and then began to climb shakily to his feet. "I am ashamed. Sh-she was right. My pride drove me here. But if I see it through, I'll certainly be s-stronger for it." Link nodded, smiled, and turned to lead them onwards.

And Franz disappeared through the floor with another scream.

Link spun, but a stone panel was already sliding closed. He set his jaw. "Oh, they did not." He glared at the stone. "First priority now: rescue Franz before he has a seizure. Come on."

"Wait," Midna said. "Where's Navi?"

"Wasn't she here a minute ago?"

"I didn't see her…"

Link sighed. "They can't hurt her. Maybe she had better reflexes than both of us, and got to him before the door closed. Let's hurry." He turned and began to run down the dimly lit corridor.

.

It took him an hour to get down a level, down to the actual cells of the prison where he suspected the prince to be held. And the first thing he ran into was a Poe.

He had turned into his wolf form to slip more easily into holes in the walls, and found the Poe much easier to fight than he had in the Forest Temple when he was trying to rescue Saria. Of course, the Poe couldn't understand him either, when he told it to "get out of here".

He had miscalculated one thing. If he couldn't find Navi at some point, he was going to be stuck as a wolf for a while. And the Stalfos were easier to fight as a human.

The Poe evaporated under his jaws, leaving behind a peculiar scent.

Of course! He could track Franz with his nose. He wasn't really sure what he smelled like, but he could just follow the scent that resembled a living being. There was only one other creature in the dungeon that was alive, and that was Franz. Even the rats were ghosts.

He found traces of a scuffle, and a pile of old bones, and a strong scent of human sweat. Franz would be easier to track than he had thought, and evidently he had been fighting. That was a good sign.

He trotted quickly down the very dark hall, following his nose, uttering a bark every few seconds.

"You smell something?" Midna asked, finally catching on. "Is it Franz? Or Navi?"

He barked affirmatively, and she raised her own shrill voice. "Fraaaanz! Naviiiii!"

Only silence greeted her call. "On second thought, that may not have been the smartest thing. Now all the ghosts will come running to us."

If that was the case, then they had to get to Franz before the ghosts did.

He galloped forward, stubbing his toes in the dark, growling at his clumsiness.

He heard something, a scuff, and turned to see another Redead shuffling up on him from the side. Before it could shriek at him, he jumped at it, smooth as water, and ripped its throat out. It wheezed and kept coming. He circled, and jumped away from its sword blow, one that would have cut him in half if it connected. The sword became embedded in the stone floor, and he jumped on its back and broke its spine.

He heard something else from up ahead, the harsh scrape of steel on stone, and bounded forward. There was a light, and he rounded the corner to see Franz and Navi standing together against several Stalfos. One already lay in pieces on the floor.

Link barked, and Navi turned to him. "Link! You found us!"

"Change me back!" he said, though she couldn't understand him. She got the hint anyway, and in a moment he was standing beside Franz, Master Sword in hand. "Good to see you still in one piece."

"Likewise," Franz said, his hand steadier than it had been in some time.

"Midna!" Link called. "We could use a bomb up here!"

"Heehee," was the reply he received. "I thought you'd never ask."

There was an explosion, followed by a rumble. "Oooh drat," Navi said. "I think that might have shaken something bad." A stone block fell to the ground behind them.

Link pushed Franz. "Go go go!" They dashed past the crumbling skeletons, ahead of the wave of sand that was flooding the corridor behind them.

They passed into the next room and slammed the stone door shut behind them.

Franz panted. "That was the way out, wasn't it?"

"Yes, but don't worry about it," Link said. "I find there's always another way out."

"In this case, I can get you out if absolutely necessary," said Midna, not even bothering to pop out of the ground. "But I'd prefer to save my strength, and I know you want to poke around every corner you can get, don't you."

"Indeed," said Navi. "He's so obsessive."

"Well, look at this place," Link said. "I don't understand this room yet. Why is there a sword covered in bits of paper and string?" He walked forward, towards the seven-foot-long black sword embedded tip-first in the floor, and poked at one of the strings that anchored it to the floor.

"Don't touch…! that…" Franz offered too late, as the string disintegrated into dust. Red runes flashed on the sword and the other strings and papers also crumbled. Link jumped backwards as the sword rose from the floor and swung horizontally at him.

If he squinted, he could see a giant black-robed figure with a head like the skull of a bull, swinging the sword around like it weighed nothing. The black sword whizzed through the air with a huge meaty whoosh.

"Stay back!" Link called to Franz. "I don't know how to beat this thing yet!"

"Stab it enough times?" Franz called back, and Link smiled.

"Yes, but where? And how do I get close enough…" he ducked another blow. "Franz! Get your bow out!"

"What do I aim at?"

"Anything! See what makes it flinch!"

Arrows began to fly past Link's head while he kept the monster ghost occupied. It was strange having arrows not targeted at him.

An arrow struck it in the head, and another in the chest, and it roared, tumbling out of the air and landing in front of Link. He slashed at it with the Master Sword, once, twice, three times, and it reeled back, seizing the black sword and swinging at him. He barely parried in time, standing his ground as firmly as he could, though he was still sent staggering back a couple paces.

"Do that again!" he shouted. "I think that worked!"

Franz did it again, but now he had the monster's attention. It was all Link could do to physically block the creature from hurtling past him and attacking the prince.

"Maybe trade places?" Navi suggested.

"No, I don't think his sword will work on this thing. Get back, thing!"

Franz's next arrow finally hit it in the eye again, and again it howled and fell at his feet.

He hacked at it until it evaporated into a puff of smoke. The sword fell to the ground, broken.

Franz slowly lowered his bow. "Did we get it?"

"I think so," Link said, breathing heavily and looking around. "Navi, opinion?"

"It's gone," she said. "Pretty sure."

"Why would they seal it away when you could defeat it with arrows and a sword?" Link asked.

"Well, like you said, it probably can't be defeated by an ordinary sword. So you're very lucky you came here now, and not a week ago," Navi told him.

"Right."

He glanced left and right one more time. "You all right?"

"I'm fine," Franz said, and he seemed to mean it this time. "What's that over there?"

Link glanced at it. "It's a treasure chest. Sometimes people leave fun things in those." He jogged over and opened it. "I have no idea what this is."

"It's a Spinner," Franz said, coming up behind him. "In my country, children use them as toys. This one looks big enough to ride on."

Navi bounced up and down. "Oh, please tell me that's what we're going to do!"

Link looked at her and sighed. "Only to make you happy." He lifted it out of the chest and set it down on the floor, where it began to hum and spin. He jumped on it, expecting to fall off, and was surprised when it held steady under his feet. He leaned forward and it began to glide in that direction. It went faster and faster, until spikes popped out around the rim. He stopped it in a hurry. "Well that was interesting."

"I guess that makes it pretty dangerous for anyone not riding it," Franz said.

"Navi, can you take care of this until we find a use for it? Thanks."

They found a use for it very soon, when they found a tall shaft that looked like it ought to have had stairs but had a strange jagged groove running in a spiral up the wall. Link fitted it into the groove and it ran away from him. He managed to grab it before it went too far, and on the next try, rode it all the way to the top. He threw it back down so Franz could come up, and then together set off.

They were soon joined by a smug-looking Nabooru, who helped them fight the rest of the Poes as Link tracked them down with his nose. Then she led them through the now-open gate and into the next room, which was filled with confusing pieces of Spinner track. Nabooru turned into an orange sphere of light and teleported to the great door at the back of the room, which Link thought was cheating, rather. But he got on the broken track as Franz told him where to go next from his vantage point on the ground. The Spinner was confusing to ride, and without Franz and Navi yelling at him where to go next, Link would have had a hard time making it up to the door.

Then he threw it down to Franz again, and the prince managed to make it up relatively safely, although it was clear he liked riding it even less than Link. Then Nabooru opened the big door for them, and they headed through.

"We didn't even come this way last time," Nabooru said. "We just flew up the outside."

Link mock-glared at her. "Well, not all of us have magical Sage powers. How did you know it's haunted, then?"

"I poked around a bit since then, trying to determine if there was a way to bring back Ruto. No dice."

"I wonder if that's the quest Darunia is on? I've been told he told everyone he was on a quest, and then disappeared."

"Wouldn't be surprised. The sentimental old rock."

They reached the end of the corridor, and came into yet another great circular chamber. The door ground shut behind them, and Link loosened his sword in its sheath.

"That looks like it could be trouble," Franz said, keeping his voice under control with an effort. He pointed at the skull of some massive beast that was the size of a small house.

"You're catching on," Navi said proudly.

Nabooru looked approvingly at him. "You're holding up better than I thought you would, kiddo. Congratulations."

A fizzing teleportation noise distracted them from their banter. Link drew his sword and started forward as Zant appeared, standing on the skull.

"You're still alive!" Zant said, his helmet distorting his voice. "How astonishing. No wonder some call you 'Hero'. But this is a bittersweet reunion, truly. For I fear this is the last time I will see you alive."

"You know, if it's that sad for you, you don't have to try to kill us," Navi snarked. "Just saying."

"Oh, but I must," Zant said. "I cannot conquer this land until this boy is dead. If I were to raise Twilight in any part of it, he would undo all my work before I could take my just revenge for your Princess's betrayal. But I have preparations to see to, and so I will have to let the Stallord deal with you rather than destroy you myself. Say farewell to Midna for me." He plunged a large black sword, different from the one that had been sealed in the dungeons, into the centre of the skull, and teleported away again.

"I hate him so much," Midna grumbled.

Silence fell as Link waited for the skull to do something.

He was not disappointed. A red flame lit in its eyes, and it began to move. Bony arms sprouted from the same and heaved, and the skull became the head of a strange humanoid figure buried to its waist in sand. It roared in Link's face, spraying sand over him, and he raised his shield to block it.

Skeletal warriors began to rise from the sand around it.

"I'm not sure how to beat this one either!" Link called back to the other two. "Keep the skeletons busy while I have a look at it!"

"Got it!" Franz called, an arrow already on the string.

"If you need more arrows," Navi told him, "just ask me. I carry extra quivers for Link all the time."

"Thank you."

Link hopped on the Spinner – it seemed like a good idea – and launched himself into the arena, right beneath the monster. It roared again – how could a skeleton roar? – and swiped at him with massive, three-clawed hands. He ducked, but he was moving too fast for it to hit him.

A person-sized skeleton rose in his path, and he kicked the spikes out, taking it out at the knees. He bounced off into a different direction, and straight into a blow from the Stallord. He went flying, and crashed hard into the side of the arena. Nabooru ran to him from where she was decapitating skeletons. "You all right?"

"I think so," he said groggily. "Where… where's the Spinner? I have an idea."

"It's still out in the middle of those guys," Nabooru said. "I'll help you get it back." She brandished her swords and leaped acrobatically into combat, with Link slicing with the Master Sword in her wake.

He reached the Spinner, still hovering, and climbed on. "Thanks. Now you better get out of the way. I'm not very good at controlling this thing yet." And he didn't have enough concentration to ride it and swing his sword at the same time, or use his shield with any kind of efficacy.

"Got it."

He turned and targeted the creature's spine. It rotated a hundred and eighty degrees to keep an eye on him, and as he dodged under its rib cage, skeletons rose in a shield before him, as if it knew what his plan was.

"I see," Franz shouted. "One moment, I think we can co-ordinate this."

Link dodged between two skeletons by sheer luck, bounced off a third, and managed to circle around to where he had a clear shot again. "All right, you ready? Because I'm going."

This time, Franz took down two of the skeletons before he reached them, giving him enough of a gap to slip through and jam the spikes of the Spinner into the spine of the giant. It was enough, and it cracked and fell backwards, flailing, into the sand.

Link retreated up the slope, and found Franz still shooting, and Nabooru defending him against a steady tide of skeletons. He hopped off the Spinner and did a spin attack, taking down several that didn't see him coming. Nabooru did an interesting hop-skip-flip thing and decapitated the rest of them.

"That's not it, is it?" he said. "That seemed too easy."

"Only you could say that," Navi said, and Franz laughed.

"Well, turn around," Nabooru said, pointing with a scimitar.

Link did, and found that the sand had drained from a large ring-shaped pit behind him, and the skull of the Stallord was watching him. Before he could react, it lunged forward, seized him in its jaws, and sent him flying to the bottom of the pit.

"Link!" shouted Franz. "Are you all right?"

He rolled as he hit the bottom and managed to stand up, a bit disoriented, but unhurt. "I'm fine. Gah!" It had snuck up on him again, and he swung the Master Sword desperately to ward it off. It went flying backwards, striking the edge of the pit, and he followed it. It opened its jaws and shot a ball of energy at him, and he dodged it just in time. He chased it until he got the idea that chasing it on the Spinner would be faster. There was a groove in the wall beside him, too.

He latched on to the groove and began to spin very quickly up the wall. It followed him, keeping pace as it retreated before him. He wondered how ridiculous it looked from above.

It opened its jaws and shot energy at him, and he swatted it back with his sword. At least, he tried to. Instead, it blasted him off the Spinner and back to the ground. "Ow." So it didn't work like Ganondorf's magic.

The Spinner fell down a few metres away, and he raced to grab it before he could get attacked again.

This time, he managed to get level with the skull, and kicked the spikes out, jumping it away from the wall and into the jaw of the skeleton. Its rough surface scraped his shield as they all fell together to the ground. Link miraculously managed to keep his balance on the Spinner, though he jumped from it as soon as they hit the ground, and swung at the skull. His sword, the evil-defying Master Sword bounced off, tracing red lines all over the surface of the skull, and so he clambered onto the nose, attacking the black sword. The red lines flashed again and again, but the sword was chipping away.

The skull was shuddering under his feet when he cracked the black sword in half. The skull slipped from under his feet and flew away, roaring, and hit the side of the pit, shattering into hundreds of pieces.

Link sagged and lay down on the ground, right there.

"Link!" shouted Franz, who had been watching, his bow ready but useless. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," he called back. "Don't want to get up, though."

Nabooru clucked. "You get up right now, boy, before I come down there and whip you up."

He rolled over and got to his feet. "Yes, ma'am."

Navi bumped into his face. "Well done. That was a crazy fight."

"Yeah, it was."

On the Spinner, undistracted, it only took him a minute or two to get to the top. Nabooru was already waiting at the far door as Franz gave Link a hand up.

Through the door, and up some more stairs, and into a wide courtyard that spanned the entire roof of the prison. A statue of a woman with a snake wrapped around her stood at the back, and in front…

"Here we are," Nabooru said. "There's the rock we chained him, to, and there's… wait."

Midna appeared from under Link's feet and flew up. Her eyes widened in disbelieving horror.

The Mirror of Twilight was broken.


	13. Chapter 13: Frostbite

Chapter 13: Frostbite

.

The Mirror of Twilight was broken and there was only a piece that was roughly a quarter of the size of the full mirror left, sitting in its frame on the top of the Arbiter's Grounds.

"Well," Nabooru said. "Doesn't take a genius to find out who did this."

Link slid to the ground and gulped water from his waterbottle. All that running around and jumping and fighting had really tired him out, and now they were back in the heat again, reminding him that he needed to stay hydrated. Franz followed his lead. Night had fallen, but the heat of the day had not yet dissipated.

"No," Midna said. She slumped down in the frame of the broken mirror. "Zant. He apparently doesn't care about going back to the Twilight Realm when he can run around this one. Or he has another way back, one that I don't know." She spat on the ground. "Maybe that was why he was here. Maybe he broke it a while ago, but knew we would be coming. I don't know. But we're running out of options."

"Link could go to Hyrule Castle and challenge him to a duel," Franz suggested.

Midna cast a glance at him. "No. What, you seriously think that would work?"

"No," said the prince meekly.

Nabooru stirred and looked up. "We're not alone."

Link looked up. High on the pillars that encircled the coliseum, six ghosts appeared. "Not all is lost," a quavering voice floated down to them.

"Well, I'm stuck for ideas," Midna said. "You got any, send them down. Who are you, anyway?"

"They're the ghosts of the old Sages," Nabooru said. "How old, I don't know. Probably the originals. We've seen them once before."

"The King of Shadows could not utterly destroy the Mirror," said one of the sages.

"Only the true ruler of the Twili can do that," said another.

"There is one piece in the high snows…" Midna looked up, hope returning to her eyes.

"One in the ancient grove…"

"One in the heavens…"

"Oh one chosen by the Goddesses… you can travel Hyrule and recover the lost pieces." Midna actually got up and floated over to Link, leaning on his shoulder.

"But you must beware. The pieces are filled with a potent magic that invites chaos."

"Retrieve them carefully, or Hyrule will suffer worse."

"Blessings be with you, Hero." They vanished.

Link and Midna shared a glance and a nod.

"Right," Navi said. "So, more running around gathering things. Fantastic."

"I'm more concerned about how we're going to get down and back to camp," Nabooru said. "This took a bit longer than I thought it would."

"We can camp here for the night," Link said. "Navi usually carries some emergency gear for situations like this. I don't know if there's enough food, though."

"We'll make do," Nabooru said. "I'm used to occasionally going without, anyway. As long as we have water, we'll be fine."

.

They spent the night on top of the haunted prison without incident, and in the morning managed to find their way back down to the entrance in only an hour or two. The Moblin camp was deserted, and it looked like it had been burned to the ground. Nabooru offered no comment.

From there, it was a short hike to the Gerudo encampment, and Link and Franz took their horses and left the Gerudo. Nabooru slapped them both on the back and wished them luck.

They made good time on their way back, and ran into Auru near the edge of Hyrule Field in the late evening.

"How did it go?" he asked. "You came back quicker than I thought you would."

"It didn't go quite as planned," Link said. "The thing we were looking for is broken, and Zant has scattered the pieces over Hyrule to try to stop us from putting it back together. Also we all seriously need a bath, except maybe Navi."

Auru considered. "I don't suppose you know where the pieces are."

"The ghosts of the ancient Sages told us… the snow, the ancient grove, and the heavens. I'm not sure about the last one…"

"We're pretty much decided that the first one means Snowpeak," Navi said. "You said your friend Ashei went there, right? It was being all extra cold and weird?"

"Yes, it's been like that for several days. It does not seem natural."

"I need to resupply, and then I'll head out there right away."

"You'll want to get some winter gear," Auru said. "That thin tunic and mail combination won't do you much good in a blizzard."

Link nodded. "I actually have – well, Navi has some. I've been in blizzards before."

"Then I won't tell you what you already know. I'm headed back to the City, is that where you are going?"

"Yes, we are."

"Then let us go together."

.

Link set out relatively alone the next afternoon, with only Midna and Navi with him. Epona was safely stabled at Telma's bar, to which Telma had returned. She let him know that Colin and Ralis were doing well, and Ralis was up and about, which pleased Link. She also had a message from Rusl, in response to which Auru asked Franz for a favour with the Gorons, and the prince had agreed to go and help resolve their issues. After how hard Franz had argued to come with Link, and how humiliated he must have felt in the Arbiter's Grounds when confronted with the living dead, Link hoped that there was nothing sinister at work in his head. But he seemed perfectly cheerful, and promised Link that he would come on the next part of the quest.

So Link ran north-west in the form of a wolf, up the river to the Zora's Domain, with only his two ethereal companions.

He came to the foot of the mountain by nightfall, and slept in the form of a wolf, because the wind was bitterly cold. It should have been summer, but the summer flowers in the meadow by the river were dying in the wind that came from the north.

So he curled under a bush, put his nose under his tail, and slept as best as he could. Navi draped his blanket over him, which helped a great deal.

In the morning, he headed up into the hills, following a rough trail that looked as if it had been used recently by some large animal. He could smell fish, oddly enough, raw fish.

Coming up to a narrow pass, he saw a small hut. Ashei was standing on the front step, looking north expectantly. He turned back into a human and jogged up to her.

"Hello," she greeted him as he came closer. "Didn't expect to see you up here."

"I'm looking for something," he said. "Something that may be causing the unnatural cold on this mountain."

"Well, the mountain's always been odd." She smiled briefly, lighting up her normally expressionless face. "I grew up in this area. My father was a knight, and this was his holding. I haven't had time to take control of it since Ganondorf fell."

"Your father is dead?"

"Killed in the second invasion, the one that took us over," Ashei said, emotionless and practical once again. "Anyway, you didn't come here to know about that. But take it from me that odd as this mountain is, it's acting even more odd than usual. And just last night… something really big came by. I heard it, but I couldn't get a good look at it… I think it's a monster. I don't know what it was doing down here."

"Could it be coming for fish?" Link asked. "Unless you've been fishing recently."

Ashei frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I smelled raw fish while coming up here, and I can see that some large animal went by. Do you know where it went?"

"No. I'm not foolish enough to go out at night here, even if I could follow a monster like that. It would be very dangerous. Promise me you're not going to do something stupid like that!"

"Well, I have to follow the monster, but I'll try not to do it at night."

"All right. That will do. D'you think the monster and the cold are connected?"

"I don't know. But I do think that the cold is connected to the thing I'm looking for. Have you seen… like a mirror, but only a piece? I'm expecting it to be a quarter of a circular mirror. It probably has jagged edges and strange designs etched into it."

Ashei shook her head. "Nope. Haven't seen anything like that. But I'll keep an eye out for it while I keep scouting the area. Where are you headed?"

"I'm going to follow the smell of fish."

She gave him a funny look. "Well, I won't stop you. Good luck!"

"And to you," he answered, and continued on his way. He crossed the rise into the next valley, and saw a beautiful half-frozen lake, bright white ice and snow lying over deep blue water. Beyond was the steep slope of Snowpeak itself.

"I think it would be a bad idea to fall in that," he said, adjusting the heavy cloak he had added to his outfit. "All right. I think I can cross that better as a wolf."

.

He wasted a lot of time following the fish trail; the creature carrying the fish was heading back and forth and all over. Link would have been frustrated, but he told himself that it was only because the creature was too big to take a more direct route up the mountain the way Link could.

It took him several hours before he reached the top of the next slope, but once he got there, he picked up a new scent. He paused and looked around, blue eyes straining to pierce the increasingly thick snowfall. The monster's passage was all covered up now, so the only thing he had been using to guide him for the last three hours was scent.

The new scent seemed familiar, and out of place. It smelled a little bit like ferns, and a little bit like rock dust, and a lot like the scent that was just in the crook of Rana's neck. If he hadn't had the hypersensitive nose of a wolf, he would never have noticed it. It was a scent he could never remember until he smelled it, not that he was good at remembering scents anyway. He hadn't smelled it since… when was the last time she had chased the nightmares away?

Why would Rana be up here? What mission was she on? Kakariko was still well-guarded without her; had she decided to come get some action? But from the way she had spoken when they last talked, it sounded like she didn't want to see him again. Felt like she didn't want to see him again, from the way she had fled Telma's bar in tears. Maybe she didn't even know he was up here.

He tried to make a note of where he was standing, where the fish trail and Rana's trail intersected, but the visibility was too bad. He was at the top of a ridge and that was all he knew. There weren't even any trees around. He would have to make a choice here. Navi and Midna waited patiently, bantering between each other about what was taking so long. Navi wouldn't change him back without his permission, and he didn't feel like telling them just yet. He was glad they trusted him. Was he afraid of their influence on his decision?

He stepped forward, leaving the fish trail. If Rana was up here, it must be something important.

He had been running only about twenty minutes when he saw something, something that broke up the smoothness of the freshly falling snow. He barked and ran towards it.

It was Rana, swathed in furs and winter robes, but she was unconscious.

"Oh Rana."

"What's she doing here, Naeri?" Navi demanded even before she changed him back. "How did Link know she was here, or was that random? Is she gonna be okay?"

"She'll explain when she wakes up," Naeri said. "She just passed out five minutes ago. I was freaking out until you guys showed up. Can you do something for her?"

Midna stared, then disappeared into the snow. "Sorry, guys, I'm not going to be any use here. I'll just get out of your way."

Link wrapped his arms around Rana and picked her out of the snow. "We need to get her under shelter, quickly."

"Do you wanna build a snow house, or… hey, you could dig one as a wolf, that would work."

Link looked around. There weren't any trees nearby for deep enough drifts to form under, but there was a rocky ledge. He transformed into a wolf and began digging through the snow to get there. In only a few minutes he had a tunnel long enough to lie down in as a human. He turned back into a human, grabbed Rana, and dragged her with him into the tunnel.

He checked her temperature. It was hard to tell, since everything was cold, but she felt too cold. Her clothes were probably holding more cold than heat at this point, even if they weren't wet. There wasn't much he could do about that other than hold her tight and hope his own body heat spread to her clothes.

The fairies were quiet, for whatever reason, and soon afterwards, lying still in the stillness of his tunnel, he fell asleep.

.

He woke up to see bright sunlight filtering through a thin wall of snow by his feet. Rana was still breathing, and she didn't seem as cold as before. Her eyes opened, slowly, and she stared at him blearily.

"Hi," he said. "I found you."

"Thanks," she mumbled. Her mouth seemed to be too cold to talk. An idea of how to fix that passed through his mind, but he ignored it.

"I'm just going to check outside, okay?"

"Okay." She squirmed back as far against the side of the tunnel as she could, while he wriggled down until he could sit up outside the cave. The sky was a clear, pale blue, and he could see for miles. He looked across the foothills into half of Hyrule. He could see the castle, small and pointed – and caged in a yellow forcefield.

He was hostage for Hyrule, in the opposite way that Zelda had been. What a strange situation.

He poked his head into the tunnel. "Weather's clear. We can keep going, if you're feeling strong enough."

She slowly crawled out of the tunnel and blinked at the view. "Pretty."

"You've never been up here before?"

"No."

"What brought you up here?"

"I needed to tell you something. I didn't know you were going to be here, but I had to be here to tell you when you got here."

"So you knew I was coming eventually."

"Yeah. And then I saw Ashei down at the foot of the glacier and she said you'd gone by, so I tried to catch up to you."

"Good thing I took the long way, then. What was it you needed to tell me?"

"I was talking to Prince Ralis, and he told me about the Yeti who live on Snowpeak. They're friendly. So… don't attack them."

He smiled. "You thought I might by accident?"

"Ralis says they're really scary looking if you're not used to it. And the big one is, like, twenty feet tall or something."

"I see. And you guessed I was coming because…"

"I just knew," she said. "I had a feeling this place was important. I didn't know I would find it so hard to go on, though. I thought I was prepared." She plucked at her cloak despondently. "I could have asked one of the others to go, but I thought I would be most fit for this kind of extreme…"

"You're probably right." Link unfolded and stood creakily. "Well, you can go back, or you can come with me."

"You really want me around?"

He stopped and looked back at her. "I would have thought I would have to ask you that."

She looked surprised. "What?"

"Franz says you don't hate me, but I can't think why not…"

"I don't hate you," she said, still surprised. "Where would you get such an idea?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "Come on. Let's go visit those Yetis. Maybe they know where the thing is that I'm looking for."

"Ralis gave me directions. Well, he's never been up here himself, of course, but he says the big Yeti told him you can see their house from the top of the mountain. I was going to go to the top and then hole up until the weather got better."

"Well, it's better now, so it shouldn't be a problem, right?"

They climbed to the top; it took them another hour. Rana seemed unusually out of breath, and he wondered anxiously if it was a side effect of her exposure. The fairies trailed behind them, talking too quietly for them to hear.

Down on the other side of the mountain, in a valley that may or may not have even within the boundaries of Hyrule, there was a large house, a mansion of some kind. It looked a bit lonely, but smoke was coming from its chimney. "You think that's it?"

"Probably," she said. "I don't see any other houses around here. What are these tracks?"

There were some deep grooves in the snow, leading straight down the mountain. Nearby was a collection of what looked like elongated frozen lily-pads.

Link began to smile. "That looks like fun." He set down one of the flat things on the slope, sat on it, and pushed off.

"No!" Rana cried. "If you stand on it, you'll get more control!" He looked back and saw her balancing skilfully on one of the flat things, and she overtook and passed him.

He grinned. "Is that the way we're playing it?" He wobbled to his feet. His recent experiences with the Spinner would help him out a lot here.

He couldn't help noticing their differences, so similar to their personalities. She dodged lightly around rocks and the occasional tree, and he rode straight over the rocks and ducked under the trees, taking the subsequent air and thumped landing in stride.

He caught up to her again. She was smiling. "This _is_ fun. Look out for the cliff."

"I'm looking out for it."

"Don't go over it either."

"Never."

She twirled, somehow, her arms carving a circle around her, and said something.

"What?" It was hard to hear her when they were going so fast, even in the clear air.

"I said, I should do things like this more often."

"You don't?"

"I haven't done much of anything, since…"

"Define anything."

"Anything except watch the south gate of Kakariko for suspicious monster activity."

"What about sleeping?"

"Who needs sleep? I can't sleep. Are you crazy?"

"I don't understand…"

The mansion was coming up fast, and she flipped from her snowboard just as they reached the bridge that led across a chasm to the front door. She staggered a bit on the landing and drooped, breathing hard.

Link coasted to a stop and went back to help her. "You all right?"

"Tired," she said. "Flabby."

"You crazy girl." He stooped and picked her up, putting her over his shoulder.

He climbed the oversized stairs to the mansion's door. "I don't see a knocker anywhere… should we just go in?"

"Put me down!" Rana scolded.

"You just said you can't sleep, and you're tired. So I'm helping. Relax. If the Yetis live here, then nothing will attack us."

"Well, those kind of look like ice Keese up there," Navi pointed out, directing his attention upwards to the eaves several stories above them. "And now that we're up close, this place doesn't look like it's in good shape."

Midna popped out of the door, startling them. "There's no one in the next room. You can probably come in."

Link put Rana down and pushed open the giant door.

Inside it was quiet and cold. Everywhere they looked, the house was beautiful, old, and decaying. The stairs to the upper level had collapsed, and there was a hole in the roof. The chandeliers hung frozen, unlit.

"Not terribly inviting," Navi said. "But that looks like firelight peeking under the door."

Link led the way across the room, and knocked on the inner door.

"Come," said a strangely accented woman's voice, and he pushed open the door.

He saw a very large version of a cozy room, with plush red couches and carpet on the floor. Sections of tree were burning in the fireplace.

Swathed in a thick blanket, sitting on the floor in front of the fire, a ten-foot tall plump figure with dark skin and intelligent black eyes was watching them. "Strangers visit, uh?"

"Yes," Link said. "Is that all right?"

She smiled, sneezed, and smiled again. "Is fine, uh. Not having many visitors. I sick now, uh."

"My friend isn't doing too well, herself," Link said, and Rana punched his arm weakly.

"Husband making soup. You drink, you feel better, uh. Come sit by fire!"

This was exactly what Rana needed at the moment. Warmth, and the prospect of food. Link noted the smell of cooking fish coming from another doorway.

The woman saw his glance and smiled. "Husband make fish soup, for make me better. Good fish, from Zora pool. My name Yeta. His name Yeto."

"I'm Link, and this is Rana. These are our fairies, Navi, and Naeri."

She blinked at them. "Pretty lights, uh."

Rana smiled. "They are, aren't they?"

"And friendly, too!" Navi chirped, flying close to Yeta's face in a friendly way.

Yeta giggled. "Come sit, Link human. Tell Yeta why you come."

Link sat on the thick carpet and was tempted to take his boots off and wriggle his toes in his socks in it.

Before he could begin his story, a head poked through the doorway, and a great big voice boomed out. "Yeta! Visitors, uh?"

"Human visitors, uh!" Yeta replied.

Link stood again. "I'm Link, and this is my friend Rana. We don't wish to be a bother, but…"

Yeto laughed, a great big jolly laugh. "No bother, no bother! Come! Sit! Warm! I bring food when ready. Fish from Zora village most nutritious!"

"Thank you so much for your kindness," Link said.

Yeto waved it aside. "Visitors nice. Not get many, uh. Okay. Back to soup now."

Link carefully explained his story, and both women listened intently. Rana looked shocked that that there was a Mirror to Midna's world, and even more that Zant had broken it. But he tried to keep it simple for Yeta, stressing more that he was looking for a mirror than what it did.

Unexpectedly, Yeta nodded. "Husband find mirror last week, uh. Hang in bedroom. Such pretty mirror! But then Yeta get sick, so come sit in living room by fire. Also rats become fierce. So we lock bedroom. You can have mirror to save world, uh."

"Thank you," Link said. "Can I pay for it, or…?"

"No, is okay. It pretty, but rats come because of it. So no can enjoy pretty. Please take."

Yeto poked his head through the door again. "Yes, take. Mirror make Yeta sick, no want. If want pay, help around house, uh? Kill rats, fix drafts, uh."

"That sounds good," Link said, getting up once more and going over to him. "Can you tell me where to start?"

"Come," said Yeto. "We men talk business, uh?" Yeta laughed softly.

Link followed Yeto into the kitchen.

"So, human come to snows for mirror, uh? You on spiritual journey?"

Link couldn't help but smile. "Sort of."

Yeto thought that very funny and laughed uproariously. "You look for long time! Huh huh. Yetis joke too, uh. But you make good climb."

"Thanks."

"House is open to you. Go where you like, uh. Maybe start with wolves in yard? Also need pumpkin, cheese, for soup. Wife look bad, uh? Fever. Make soup to fix."

"I understand."

"You married, uh? That your wife?"

"No, not my wife… Just a friend."

"Ah, friends, uh. Good friends! Come up here together, very brave. All right. You start when ready. We be here." He turned back to his soup, humming and burbling to himself.

"Fish, pumpkin, and cheese soup?" Midna whispered to him. "That sounds kind of weird."

"Don't hate it til you've tried it," was Navi's sage response.

.

The 'rats' turned out to be white wolves, who howled in the courtyard, and also strange ice monsters of a kind he'd never seen before. The mansion was more of a castle, now that he was wandering around it – the walls were made of heavy stone blocks, except in rooms that clearly had once been beautiful social places. He wandered through a ballroom where water that had dripped from a hole in the ceiling had made an ice sheet across the floor, and wondered what it would have looked like when new. Also there were several cannons sitting around on the walls.

He found a pumpkin and a wheel of cheese and brought them to Yeto. They were so large he could barely carry them, but in Yeto's huge hands they hardly looked like they would be a snack for him, and they didn't make much of a drop in the eight-foot-tall cauldron that he was cooking the soup in.

However, Yeto pronounced the soup done, and they all sat in the living room next to the fire to eat it. Rana and Yeta looked to be fast friends; the Hylian was snuggled up next to Yeta's soft, downy fur.

Link asked about the cannons and the Yetis smiled.

"Husband aficionado of weapons of modern warfare," said Yeta. "Has big collection."

"You like, uh?" Yeto boomed. "Tomorrow I show you how to shoot cannon. Big noise! Fun time."

"That sounds interesting," Link said. "I would like that."

"You feel better much?" Yeto asked his wife.

She nodded. "Less headache now, uh. Good soup."

"Thank you! Yeto do dishes now."

"Let me," Link volunteered, and Yeto passed over the massive bowls and spoons. Link and Rana had shared a bowl between them, and still hadn't managed to finish it. Link was worried their host would be angry, but Yeto just laughed at the "cute little humans" and their tiny stomachs.

When he came back, everyone was asleep. Yeto was curled protectively around Yeta, a fond smile still on his face. Rana was lying a little apart from them, a little further from the fire. He bent down to look into her face. No, she wasn't asleep. She was just lying very still, her eyes still open, and a tear fell down into the carpet.

"Hey," he whispered gently. "Are you okay?"

She wiped the tears away and rolled over, presenting her back to him. He sighed. "Rana…"

"Go to sleep, Link."

He shook his head, although she couldn't see him. "Are you going to sleep?"

"Maybe. If I feel like it."

He scooped her up in his arms, despite her muffled squeak, and carried her back into the kitchen. He set her down on a box near the fire and knelt in front of her. "Talk to me."

"I don't want to."

"Why not?"

Her face crumpled. "Because I'll just make you feel bad. And I know you already feel bad about me crying, so I don't want to make it worse."

He reached up to touch her elbow. "It's all right. Tell me anyway. You said you can't sleep; is it that, or you don't feel like sleeping?"

"It's both," Naeri said.

"Naeri," Rana said, and her fairy stopped talking. Both fairies looked at each other, and then flew over to a far corner of the kitchen. Neither Hylian noticed them go.

"At court," she whispered, "if you say anything to anyone about your problems, how you feel about bad things, then you're labelled a whiny loser who wants attention. And someone else always has a worse sob story anyway. But if you don't say anything, then you're a stupid person who doesn't know how to get the help you need. And I don't want to say too much to anyone anyway, because I feel like I'm boring them with my complaints that are the same day after day. I've managed to not tell too many people about… my current problem, and I'm certainly not telling you. Not like it matters compared to Zant's invasion."

He sat beside her and put his arms around her. It was manipulative, and he hated that, but he did it anyway. "Tell me. I'm not going to be mad, or feel more bad than I already do. I was… partly wrong. Stopping Zant is the most important thing. But that doesn't mean that you're not important. I didn't want you to think that. And I don't want you to hurt yourself." Although… she was clearly holding back a flood of tears, biting her lip, proudly not wanting to break down in front of him. Perhaps he should go after all.

"More than I'm already hurting?" she snipped back. "I'm sorry. This is why I don't want to talk to you."

"Rana, I'm… I'm sorry for hurting you so much. I just want to know, now. Please tell me."

She was silent for a long time, tense against him. "I can't sleep because I can't stop thinking of you and it hurts," she said finally. "It's like… when I saw you for the first time again three years ago, except it's not just your eyes now… it's everything. Everything you do, everything you say… even when you're not here, I can't stop thinking about you and how amazing you are. Maybe I don't know you, but you're enough the same that I don't think I'm wrong to love you. Even if I'm in love with a shadow of who you really are. That doesn't change what you do, and I can tell you're a good man. And I can't get enough of you; I'm addicted to you, every twitch you make. Being apart from you is… I'm so jealous of Yeto and Yeta."

He wanted to tell her she was crazy, but she probably wouldn't take that well right now. She was tense as a bowstring, but he wouldn't let her go anywhere until she was done.

She chuckled through her tears that she was ineffectually trying to hide. "I sound like a crazy person. Well, maybe I am. I was raised in the forest, and then by fugitive ninjas. What is 'normal'? I don't think I'm capable of normal. What about you?"

He thought back to how crazy he was about Marin on Koholint. "I don't know. Maybe."

"I don't want to be selfish, even though I totally am. I certainly don't want your attention just because it makes me feel better – although it doesn't anymore, it just hurts. Oh, I shouldn't have come up here! I should have sent Rusl."

"Rusl's not used to adventuring like you," he said. "I'm glad you didn't put him in danger. But why did you keep going when it started to look bad? You could have died, and no one would have known. And then I would really feel awful."

"Oh, well," she said. "It doesn't really matter. It's not like I've been doing anything useful with my life, anyway. You probably shouldn't have saved me from those Ironknuckles, even. You would have figured out the Yetis were friendly. You're smart."

"Rana," he said, and shook her in exasperation. She pulled away from the shaking, looking annoyed. "Don't value your life so cheaply. _Now_ I'm going to tell you you're crazy."

"No, just upset. And crazy." She focused on him through her fingers, suddenly calm. "You seem different. In a good way, though."

"I got the Master Sword back. It chased away a good portion of my doubts about the past and my capabilities, told me that I'm not a failure, despite everything. If I had gotten it back when I found out you were alive… Well, Navi told me to stop thinking about what might have been."

"I don't think I can do that yet."

"You need your own Master Sword."

She managed a smile. "Now where am I going to get that, at Malo Mart?"

"I don't know – wait, Malo has…"

"He started a shop in Kakariko. He's in business with a Goron who supplies him with bombs and arrows and things."

Link whistled. "So that business jargon he likes using wasn't just for show."

"And he drives a stiff bargain. But it's not like you find arrows just lying around everywhere, so he can do that."

"And how is Talo taking it?"

"Talo's been watching the eastern gate, the one to Goron City. Not many monsters come through there, but he is very vigilant. And he has a good set of lungs."

"That he does."

"I guess you want to know about everyone, right? You haven't been able to see them in a while. Beth and Luda play together a lot. They like dolls and tea parties, but they have this sense of responsibility that… well, I wish I had it at their age. I wish I had it now. Ralis is up, and he and Colin are helping Renado take care of the town. Ralis doesn't want to go home yet. He doesn't feel he can face his people, even though he ultimately succeeded in getting help for the Zoras. Ilia's been keeping to herself, although Beth keeps trying to draw her out. Rusl watches the north gate. Sometimes he asks me to spar." She looked down. "I haven't taken him up on it yet. I just wanted to… stop existing."

"But you talked to Franz."

"Yeah. He came to visit while he was staying in Kakariko. He's nice. He was sympathetic. He reminds me of Zelda, in a way. Some kind of unconscious dignity. Jakob's all healed, now, so Rusl spars with him instead."

"You should join them, when you go back." Oops. He didn't mean that she was going alone. "When we go back?"

"Where are you going after this?"

"I haven't thought that far ahead. The other two pieces of the mirror are supposedly in the forest and the sky, and I'd probably go to the forest first, because I haven't the least idea of how to get up to the sky."

"You need a really big cannon," she said, and chuckled. "Or a bird. Probably a bird. Too bad Kaepora Gaebora's not around anymore…"

"Or even if he was, I'd be rather too big for him," he smiled back. "Maybe you should come visit Saria."

"I don't want to bother her."

"She probably wants to know."

"No, no, no. You can tell her."

"So what are you going to do? Lie around feeling sorry for yourself in Kakariko?"

"I can't do anything useful, so, yes."

"Stop saying that."

"It's true!"

He sighed. "You really are crazy. And stubborn."

She sagged. "I'm sorry. And I'm sorry for not being able to do anything more useful than say 'I'm sorry'. Now you'll really hate me."

"Now when did I say anything like that?"

"You certainly don't love me anymore, and that's just as bad."

"…Go to sleep, silly."

"Link," she said, suddenly serious. "I know it's stupid to be wallowing in self-pity because I'm not in a relationship, especially right at this moment when the whole kingdom is in danger. People break up, people live single lives… but knowing that doesn't really help."

"I understand. And I'm sorry for being such a huge pain, for being around and reminding you of things you don't want to think about."

"Oh, I still like thinking about you," and she blushed a little. "But I shouldn't think about that anymore, so I feel bad."

"Don't feel bad. I don't suppose you can help it."

"I'll try to sleep. And I'll try to be more useful tomorrow. I think Yeta likes me."

"I like they both like us. I like them."

"Yeah." She pulled away from him and began walking sleepily back to the living room. For some reason, he felt… disappointment?

He followed her, and they lay on the carpet near each other but not touching. He fell asleep pretty soon.

.

The next morning, Yeto showed him how to use the cannons. It was a lot of fun blowing up the especially large ice monsters that seemed to have grown overnight. Then Yeto went back inside to take care of Yeta, reading to her in the strange Yeti language. Rana and Naeri stayed with them. She still didn't look happy, but at least she didn't look completely sleep-deprived like he feared she would.

He fought a large lizard monster dressed in heavy armour, whirling an iron ball on a chain around its head at him. He managed to dodge the ball, which would probably have crushed him like a slug, and stabbed it in the back. He picked up the iron ball out of curiosity. It was heavier than his iron boots, and very solid. He couldn't swing it with one hand the way the lizard could, and he felt like an idiot using it. But it was fun, so he kept it. Or rather, Navi kept it. No one had to see him using it, anyway.

It was shortly after noon, and he was just starting to feel hungry, when he came out of the castle's chapel with the key to the master bedroom. He had destroyed a lot of the furniture in a spectacular fight with some ice monsters, and was feeling kind of guilty about it, considering he had promised to help fix the place. He heard a call.

"Link!" He looked right and saw Yeta and Rana walking slowly up the ramp from the courtyard.

"Hi! I found the key."

"Yeto said it was nice out, and that most of the monsters were gone, so we decided to come find you," Rana told him.

"You find key?" Yeta asked. "Good, uh. I take you to bedroom now, give you mirror."

"You seem to be feeling better," he commented.

"Yes, have more of husband's soup. Feel much better! Fresh air good, too."

"We'll take the mirror away and then you won't feel sick at all anymore," he promised.

She smiled. "You very nice little humans. You should marry like Yeto and me."

He laughed awkwardly. "I think it's a bit early for that."

"Why not? She like you."

He gave up trying to figure out whether Yeta meant "she likes you" or "she is like you". "Maybe later," was all he said, diplomatically. Rana shot a glare at him, and he knew he would be in trouble later.

Yeta let him unlock the big blue heart-shaped lock on the door, and he held it open for her. She giggled at him as she waddled past him.

The master bedroom was one of the rooms that was still beautiful and taken care of. It was very dusty, but Link supposed that was because they hadn't been in it for a few days. There were several candle sticks, a very large but empty bookshelf, a grandfather clock, and a luxurious looking bed with draperies and a lot of pillows. The room was two or three stories tall, even by Yeti standards, and windows ringed it near the top.

At the back of the room, propped on a large chest of drawers, was a piece of the Mirror of Twilight.

Yeta went straight to it. "See, pretty mirror." She began to sway gently in front of it. "Pretty… uh… pretty mirror… lovely…" She began to twitch and groan, still repeating the word 'pretty', and Link's hackles rose, and he would have growled if he was in wolf form. Something terribly wrong was happening.

"Yeta!" he began, but before he could move, she spun around, her face horrifically transfigured, and screeched at him.

"NOT TAKE MIRROR!"

The windows shattered, and freezing air filled the room. It swirled around Yeta, as she seemed to absorb the mirror into her body, and lift her high in the air. He couldn't see her for the snow and ice that whirled around her. The carpet began to freeze into ice.

Something massive slammed into the floor, and he jumped and slipped backwards. It was a huge sphere of ice, with a face seemingly etched into the side that faced them. "Rana! Stay back!"

Her sword was in her hand, not that it would do her much good against the enemy they now faced. "How do we get her out of there?"

"Can you go and get Yeto?"

She glanced towards the door. It was shut and barred by thick ice. "Nope! We're stuck here! I don't even think I can climb out the windows…"

"Yeta! Fight the mirror! You don't want to hurt us!" He had to shout over the wind still driving about the room.

The sphere did not answer him, but instead began to move, sliding smoothly across the icy floor. He jumped out of the way, wondering how on earth he was going to win this one.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Navi said to him, and the iron ball appeared dangling in front of him.

"Navi! That won't work!"

"How do you know? Maybe it'll break the ice around her without hurting her!"

"And maybe I'll squash her!"

"Are you freaking out again?" his fairy screamed at him.

"I'm freaking out a lot!"

The sphere had given up on chasing Rana and was barreling at him again.

"Well you don't have a lot of options, do you!"

He seized the chain. "Fine. Yeta, look out!"

He swung the heavy ball and hurled it at the ice. It cracked, pieces going in all directions, and bounced, heading away from him again. He couldn't tell what had happened to Yeta, but it was still moving, so he hoped she was all right.

It kept coming at him, so he kept swinging the ball and chain at it. His arms were going to hurt tomorrow. Rana wisely stayed behind him, where the sphere couldn't attack her.

With every blow, more ice fell from it, until it slammed into the wall and shattered. Yeta hovered a foot above the ground, looking unhurt, but she still had the giant fangs and glowing red eyes that had appeared when the mirror took her. She wailed, a strange, angry, guttural cry, and floated up into the air with a sinuous wriggling motion. Cold air gathered around her again, forming into a bunch of icy chunks that hovered menacingly over their heads.

"Run!" Navi squeaked, and he took her advice and sprinted for the other side of the room as fast as he could across the slippery carpet. A series of thuds behind him told him that Yeta was throwing the oversized ice cubes at him. He heard a squeak from Rana, but it was a startled one, not a hurt one, so she was okay. Although if one of those ice cubes hit her, she probably wouldn't be saying anything ever again.

There was an especially large crash behind him, and he turned to see Yeta, in some kind of ice gazebo, had landed in an attempt to crush him. Before she could lift off again, he brought out the iron ball and swung it at her icy prison. Part of the top fell off.

She rose into the air again, screaming in anger, and began pelleting them with hailstones while she gathered new lumps of ice. He dodged them as they slammed into the floor in his wake, and then Yeta herself landed again.

He swung the iron ball at her, and it smashed her ice into the far wall. Yeta, unshielded, screamed and wailed and fell to the floor, unhurt as far as he could see.

Something glittered in the air, and tiny fragments of glass coalesced into the fragment of Mirror that they were looking for. It throbbed as it hung in the air in front of him, a soft but tooth-jarring rumble. He didn't reach out to take it. Yeta didn't even have to touch it to be corrupted.

Midna popped out of the floor and took it instead. "Well, now we have two." She turned to look at Yeta with the rest of them. "I feel bad for her. She's a sweet girl, and to become corrupted like that… All worlds can be cruel, I guess."

"You can say that again," Navi said. "But she appears to be unhurt, and she looks normal now…"

"Link?" Naeri said.

"We have to hurry to the next place," Midna said. "We have to, to get those pieces not just to stop Zant, but to prevent other people from suffering like this…"

"We need to make sure she's all right," Navi said, flying over.

There was a crash from the doorway, and Yeto stood there, over the remains of the door and the ice that had blocked it. Navi hurriedly backed away from Yeta. He saw his wife lying still, and gave a huge cry, rushing to her side.

Yeta sat up just then. "Uh… uh… What I saying? Where…"

Yeto put a giant hand on her shoulder. "You just dreaming, uh."

"Yeto! Mirror you gave…" she looked around, confused, at the dresser, at Link, at Rana.

Yeto shook his head and picked her up in his arms. "No, Yeta. Look into eyes of Yeto. Look at reflection in Yeto's eyes. There true beauty! Who need mirror?"

"My love, uh!" Yeta cried, her own eyes shining.

Link looked away, not wanting to intrude on a private moment, and saw a pile of fur. "Rana!"

"I was trying to tell you," Naeri said, as he ran to her. He felt ashamed as he picked her up in his arms. She was breathing. "She got sideswiped by an icicle and hit the bookshelf hard. I think she has a concussion."

"I think I can get us out of here," Midna said. "The Mirror's given me some power. Shall we?"

"We should leave a message…" Navi said, glancing at the two embracing Yeti.

"Or we can come back later, when Rana's all right," Link said. "I'd rather do that." He sighed over the still form in his arms. "You're so silly." But he meant it affectionately, and the others knew that.

He also glanced at the Yeti, and had a sudden vision of a golden-haired couple embracing… embracing in a wood-walled room with white breezy curtains in the window…

"This is the place," said the man. "It brings back memories, doesn't it?" The woman answered him by laughing and kissing him on the mouth.


	14. Chapter 14: It's Always Spiders

Chapter 14: It's Always Spiders

.

They touched down in the Spirit's Spring at Kakariko, ejected from Midna's portal in the sky. Rana was still firmly held in his arms, the two fairies fluttered anxiously beside him, and Midna hovered in front of him, watching Rana's face. It was hot, though the sun was setting, and he wished he could instantaneously shed his heavy winter clothes.

He turned, disoriented, as Talo yelled from a watchtower on a rocky height. "Hey! Link just appeared in town!"

He trotted towards the hotel as faces appeared – lots of faces. Kakariko was full of people. Renado came to meet him. "What happened?"

"She got hit by a slab of ice and knocked into a bookshelf. Naeri thinks she has a concussion."

Renado took her from him easily. "I will see to her. Wait a while."

Link went into the hotel, and waved to the people there: Colin, Ralis, Jakob, Luda.

Unexpectedly, Naeri followed him. "Link, can I talk to you?"

Was this the dressing down he was expecting? "Yes, certainly."

"Can we talk outside? Away from the others." So he got up again and followed the fairy.

Naeri led him just inside the entrance to the graveyard. "Rana is not doing well, and she's not listening to me. She's eating too much, and not moving enough. I want to ask you to tell her to get a grip on herself."

It was as much as he'd ever heard from the quiet fairy at one time before, and he took his time before he answered. "I don't know if I can. A long time ago, back in the first months after I thought she was dead, I was much the same. I forgot about it… I've been rather hard on her, haven't I?"

"It's true about him being the same," Navi told her friend. "He was moping and moping and moping. He wouldn't even crack a smile! Except he did the opposite. He stopped eating and started working out like crazy."

"At least Rana knows you're alive," Naeri conceded. "But this is a really bad time for her to be losing her edge. She's not going to survive this war if she doesn't take care of herself."

"She just needs time, a lot of it, probably. She changes her feelings very slowly, doesn't she?"

"She starts a thing quickly, and is slow to end it," was how Naeri put it.

"So it's not her fault."

"I don't care whose fault it is. I just need her to pay attention before she's a fraction too slow or too foolish to avoid getting killed. Yes, she seems foolish, but half of it's an unconscious act, believe me. She's not as dumb as she seems. Usually. But now she's not paying attention when she fights, and you're right – it was really stupid of her to keep going up the mountain when she started losing strength – which she started losing because she hasn't been exercising."

Link blinked at the outpouring of information. "I'll talk to her, but I don't know if it will help. I hurt her so much she'll probably just do the opposite. She doesn't like being told what to do, either."

"Well, neither do you," Navi pointed out. "I don't think anyone does."

"Rana doesn't like being told what to do, but sometimes she wants guidance and no one gives it to her. And she doesn't always tell people when she wants it, because she has as much pride as anyone. It would be much easier if Zelda were here to help… but in the meantime, help me keep her alive until Zelda gets back to smack some sense into her."

Link smiled. "Should I ask?"

"Zelda and Rana would spar occasionally when Zelda wasn't swamped with work," Naeri informed him. "Thanks for your help. I really don't know what to do with her."

"Be patient with her," Link said. "You know her better than I do. I imagine no one was more frustrated with me than Navi ten years ago…"

"Although that would be because no one else knew you were around ten years ago," Navi interrupted. "Man, Naeri, these humans, huh?"

Link looked at his fairy. "I bet you wish you'd stayed with the new Great Deku Tree and the other Kokiri, rather than running around after me and my crazy mood swings, huh?"

"You don't mood swing. And dealing with you growing up has been weird on occasion. But Link, you're my best friend. We're partners. I wouldn't want to trade it for anything."

He smiled and reached up for her to sit on his hand. "I wouldn't either. Thanks."

.

In the morning, he woke in his room to see two fairies. "Rana's awake," Naeri said.

"And Franz and Shad are here!" Navi squeaked. "I like Shad. He's a dork."

Link smiled. "Any chance I can have breakfast first?"

They let him have breakfast, but by the time he finished and went to check on Rana, she had gone from her room. Franz was there, though. "Hello, Link!"

"Hi, Franz. Where is Rana?"

Franz frowned. "I told her not to go too far. She said she needed time to think. Her fairy friend tried to persuade her to stay a moment, but she was resolute."

"I'm supposed to talk to her, that's why," Link said. "She's still having a rough time. We did get a chance to talk the day before yesterday, though."

"Yes, weren't you going to the mountain? How did you get back so fast?"

"Midna recovered some power and used it to move us straight here. So how have you been?"

"Well, I only just got here. I was slightly side-tracked by your delightful scholarly friend here." They had gone down into the living area of the hotel, and Shad looked over the edge of his book at Link, and pushed his glasses up his nose.

"Ah, hello," he said, and went back to reading.

"He told me some pretty interesting things about statues," Franz said. "But I won't bore you with the details. What are you planning to do now?"

"I need to go to the forest next, to see Saria and find the next piece of Mirror. Hopefully Midna will be able to take us there…"

"'Fraid not," Midna said, popping out of the floor and flopping down beside him on the couch. "I thought I'd be all right after a night's rest, but apparently not. I need another Mirror piece, or the Fused Shadows, or my proper form, to teleport you anywhere. I can take myself places, but an extra person is currently out of the question."

"Well then, may I come with you?" Franz asked. "I allowed myself to be side-tracked because Rusl sent another message saying the situation had been resolved… for now, at least. And the forest can't be as bad as fighting the undead."

"I don't know," Link said thoughtfully. "How good are you with spiders?"

"I'm all right with them…"

"What about spiders as big as a horse?"

Franz twitched. "That is a good question. Is anyone good with spiders as big as a horse?"

"That's a good counter-question. The short answer is no. But if you really want to come, I'm not going to stop you. I imagine Jakob would have other ideas, though."

"Really, must you banter so?" Shad asked. "I really can't concentrate on this chapter."

"I'm sorry," Link said. "What are you reading?"

"The history of the Temple of Time. I'm looking for references to the Dominion Rod; I believe they are connected somehow. And of course the Dominion Rod is connected to the owl statues in Hyrule, which are probably connected to the City in the Sky."

"That sounds convoluted," Link said. "But tell me more about the Temple of Time."

"Well… at the beginning of recorded history, it was probably in the forest, which is where it now stands. It has stood at various places in Hyrule, but it seems it has come full circle in its physical journey. It sometimes has housed the Master Sword, which you now wield, so you know that. It's said that in the twenty-first century, it was connected to Hyrule Castle, through a secret passage, which substantiates…"

"What is this Dominion Rod, and how is it connected?" Navi interrupted just as Shad took a deep breath to continue on a long, jargon-filled thesis.

He frowned at her. "I was coming to that. The Dominion Rod is said to have a magic power over statues, that it could bring them to life, even. Back in some golden age of Hyrule, there were living statues that spoke and did the bidding of their masters. But time passed, and the magic faded, and the Dominion Rod was sealed within a part of the Temple of Time which no one has seen since… well, it was sealed, which was not a recorded event. I'm guessing second century."

Link glanced at Franz. "I think we should check that out."

Shad looked perplexed. "What does that have to do with saving Hyrule from Zant?"

"I don't know yet. But there's only so many significant places in the collective Faron woods for the Mirror shard to be, so I'm certainly going to check with Saria to see if the Temple of Time has twigged her interest yet."

Beth giggled from behind him. "You said 'twigged' about the forest. Haha."

"Hello, Beth," Link said. "How are you?"

"I'm good. Ilia's still trying to remember stuff, but she feels like she's close. She says her mind is running around in circles at the point where she found Ralis, but she can't remember before that."

"I understand. You're doing fine. Tell her not to worry herself sick."

"Perhaps being relaxed about it would help her better?" Shad asked. "Sometimes we remember things in the dead of night because our brains are free to wander down paths that we don't usually think to wander down."

"I'll tell her that!" Beth said. "Maybe she'll play with the other kids and me, then. Okay, thanks! Bye!"

She crossed paths with Rana through the front door. Rana was covered with sweat, and her hair stuck limply to her forehead.

"You all right?" Link asked.

She nodded. "I realized something." She looked warily at Franz and Shad, though the latter wasn't paying the least bit of attention anymore, but continued. "I need to be stronger. I was completely useless in the last fight. It would have been much better if I hadn't even been there. So if I'm stronger, then I can actually be of use to… someone. Worthy of being of use."

Link frowned at her and stood, moving over to stand beside her. "Rana, you're not 'unworthy' of anything. The last fight was just crazy, anyway, and…"

"Stop lying to make me feel better," she cut him off. "I was a useless liability, and telling me otherwise is not going to change that."

He shut his mouth. Maybe it was true she hadn't done anything in the fight itself, but that hardly meant she was useless. But she wasn't in the mood to listen, it was clear, although if she had been working out, that was a step in the right direction.

"So where are you going next?" she asked. "I want to come. I want to prove myself. …If that's okay."

"Well, I'm going to the forest to ask Saria where the next Mirror piece might be. But there's no need for you to come…"

"But I want to…"

"Is it true there are spiders big as horses in the forest?" Franz asked from behind them.

"What, you don't believe me?" Link asked.

Rana nodded. "The first giant monster me and him fought was called Queen Gohma, a huge spider monster that lived under the old Deku Tree. It was about as big as a… well, you could pack it into one of the bedrooms here, but that wouldn't leave any room for anything else in that room."

Franz's eyes opened wide. "Wow. And you defeated it? It was your first monster… how old were you?"

"I was ten, and he was twelve," Rana said, slipping back in time – and into child-like chatter mode. "We totally defeated it! It was awesome, he stabbed it in the eye and it twitched like crazy." She looked down at the floor. "And it bit me and I almost died before we got to Hyrule Castle Town and found a healer. Who is dead now because of Zant's attack."

"And so began a long tradition," Naeri said.

"Of me following after Link, getting in the way, and getting hurt through my own incompetence," Rana finished.

"Not what I was going to say," Naeri said.

"But it's true," Rana insisted.

"Not usually," Link said mildly. "But I was going to go alone on this one, anyway."

"May I come?" Franz asked. "Not that I haven't had enough of the forest already."

Link looked at him. "Are we doing this again? But this time you'll have to reason with your bodyguard. I don't think he'd be happy to be left behind again. No, I'm going alone."

"And if there's a secret place under this Temple of Time?" Franz demanded. "I know you are capable of doing it all yourself, but wouldn't you rather have company?"

"Ahem," said Navi.

"Ah… I apologize. I meant other humans."

"I know," Navi said, smiling cheekily. "But I was checking to make sure you remembered."

"I'm not going to argue with anyone," Link said. "I'm just going to go."

"In that case," Franz said, "I'm just going to come with you. Jakob will worry. But he's in good hands here."

"He's healed," Link pointed out. "He's not going to like that."

"Too bad!" Franz cried, sounding almost drunk with excitement. "I'm going on an adventure!"

Link looked at Rana. "I suppose you're going to come whether I want you to or not, too."

She looked hard at him for a minute, then shook her head. "I guess I won't."

"All right. Stay here and protect them. And keep exercising, it's good for you."

She smiled. "I really need a bath now. And I just had one yesterday."

He patted her shoulder awkwardly. "All right. Have a nice one."

He went outside and sighed. Epona was still in the Castle Town, and Midna was too tired to teleport. He supposed he was walking.

At least, he supposed so until Franz went to the stables and led out his own horse, Pwin, and Epona followed.

Link frowned at him. "Wait, how did you know I wanted Epona?"

Franz grinned. "I had an idea you wouldn't be stopping at the castle on the way back. I didn't know you'd be coming here, but I knew I would run into you pretty soon. Shad rode her, and she was gentle as a lamb with him."

"What is with people predicting my movements," Link mumbled to himself.

"Link, everyone predicts your movements, even the bad guys," Navi said. "Just be glad you haven't been assassinated yet. Although that would be hard with me around."

"Why, you'd do it first?"

She giggled.

"Maybe it's your Triforce," Franz suggested, mounting Pwin. "It seems to resonate with certain people."

"Maybe," Link said. "Good to know I have a divine tracking device on me."

"Oh, stop teasing," Navi said. "You like being special."

He smiled. "You got me. But aren't we all special, Navi? I just happen to be inordinately, unhealthily brave. You happen to be inordinately crazy, and a fairy."

"Good to know you think of me as special for my species," Navi quipped, and he decided to stop teasing her. "Anyway, what are you waiting for? Jakob?"

"Ah, no," Franz said. "Come on, let's get out of here."

.

Malon was surprised to see them, but Link wanted to introduce her to Franz. She admired his horse, fed them, and then they were on their way again.

Night was falling under the great trees by the time Epona clopped across the bridge that led to Kokiri Village. The children were fascinated by Epona as always, and clustered around her, but not too close. Their fairies lit up the night like over-sized fireflies.

"Navi," he said. "Go tell Saria – or Nati – that I'd like to talk to her, but not now if she's tired."

"Got it!" she zoomed away.

She returned as he and Franz were brushing down their horses. "She's not asleep yet, and she'd like to see you."

"Hi!" Saria said from behind Navi. "Ooh, hi, Epona. Hi, Franz! What's up, Link, Navi?"

"I'm looking for a piece of the Mirror of Twilight," Link said. "I've been told there's a piece in the forest somewhere. I have a hunch it's in the Temple of Time. What do you think?"

"I'm not sure what a Mirror of Twilight is," Saria said, her finger in her chin. "Is this something that happened recently, or a long time ago?"

"Recently. Last week or so."

"Hmm. I'm going to need an hour or two to check, okay? I'll start at the Temple of Time and work from there." She ran off into the dark.

"She's not going there alone, is she?" Franz cried.

Link stopped him with a raised hand. "No, she's just going to meditate. I think."

"All right." Franz yawned. "Sorry."

"You go to bed. I'll go to bed in a minute."

But as he finished with Epona and turned to go, he saw the golden wolf on the edge of the village, and went to follow.

"Good evening, Hero," said the Hero from the past, once Link had entered the spirit world. "How are you doing?"

"I'm all right," Link said. "Lots of things on my mind."

"That is normal. But are you coming closer to finding your spirit?"

"Closer. Not there yet." Link sighed and ran a hand through his hair and down the back of his hat. "That's part of it. I still don't know… how to deal with my ex-girlfriend. I don't want her to be unhappy, but…"

"Don't ask me for relationship advice…"

Link grinned. "No, no, I won't. But maybe you can help me with something else. Do you know anything about the Mirror of Twilight?"

"That thing?" asked the skeletal Hero in surprise. "I used that when I was a kid. I needed to go to the Dark World. Is that what they call it now?"

"I guess they call it the Twilight World now. I don't really know." Link chuckled. "You'd better ask your Wisdom counterpart, Hero."

"Yeah… but my wife isn't here right now."

"You married…"

"The Princess Zelda of my time, yes. That was after many adventures, and many kidnap attempts on her from many villains. In fact, I went to the Dark World to rescue her that one time. But come! We are wasting time."

"I thought time doesn't pass in the spirit world."

"Whether it does or not, you're not here except so I can pass on my knowledge and skills to you. Let's look at your jumping attacks, shall we?"

.

The next afternoon, they were at the Temple of Time, at an undetermined time in the past. Saria had detected 'weird echoes' from the Temple, and once they arrived, she told him to try playing the Song of Time and striking the Pedestal of Time with the Master Sword.

It was a long shot, but it worked, and now the three of them wandered through gleaming marble stone corridors, in a part of the Temple that could only be reached in the past from a mysterious portal that looked exactly like any other wall in the Temple – until you got up close to it and found it was a door. Link brandished his sword in his left hand and the Dominion Rod in his right hand – he had found that, too. Shad would have a field day when he got back. Oocco, the small bird-like creature, had joined them too, at least for the time being.

They were looking for a particular statue, one that matched a statue in the entrance hall to this maze. The whole place was filled with technology he had never seen before, including lightening fences, a strange type of Beamos, and striking switches shaped like diamonds. There was also a concentration of Lizalfos and small – only knee-high – spiders. He had also duelled a fearsome warrior, an animated set of armour with a sword longer than Link was tall, while the others were locked out of that room. At first the armour had been slow and brutal, and Link easily dodged its blows, but after he hacked away at it for long enough, its armour fell off, and it drew a slimmer sword. Then the battle had become fierce.

There were plenty of traps, and Franz revealed that he carried a magic tool with him: a small whistle with which he could slow time around him – or, from Link's point of view, by which Franz could move very, very fast. This allowed him to get around the rolling spikes and swinging blades more easily than the others, even than Saria, who was small and light and nimble.

"Why are we even looking for this statue again?" Saria asked. She carried the Kokiri Sword, and she knew how to use it, but Link tried to keep her back from the larger monsters and particularly from the quick Lizalfos. She was the Sage, and she had magic powers, and he trusted her, but she was still child-sized.

Link put away his weapons, turned, and gave her a piggyback. "Because we need to know what was behind that big important door across the entrance hall. Standard dungeoneering procedure."

"Oh, right. Man, this place is so big. Are we even sure the statue still exists?"

"Pretty sure. This place isn't that old yet, and everything else is still here."

"I guess. Thanks for the lift! I kind of like you as an adult."

He laughed. "I'll come visit lots after the kingdom gets put back together, and I'll take you for rides all the time. You want to ride on Epona?"

"Sure! I like her. She's pretty."

"Do all Light-side girls like horses?" asked Midna curiously, floating around near his elbow. "Because one-hundred percent of all the females you've met since I met you have loved horses."

"Possibly…"

"There it is!" squawked Oocco in great excitement. "Oh, there it is! Be a dear and go get it, would you?"

Link looked around. There was the missing statue, looking quite happy on a suitable ledge in an alcove at the end of a hall.

Link fished the Dominion Rod out of his belt without dropping Saria. "Do you want to give this a try, Franz?" Franz had proven his worth in this Temple. He had been clever around the traps, and he hadn't made a noise when confronted with either the large spiders or the Lizalfos. He was a bit more shy of the Beamos, but that was understandable. Link didn't like them either, and shot them through the eye before they could spot the group.

"I'd love to," said the prince, and took it with gleaming eyes. He frowned at the statue, and at the rod, which had a glowing, pale-blue ball of magic on the end, and then he pointed the rod at the statue. The ball twitched, but didn't go anywhere. He flicked it hard in the direction of the statue, and the ball shot out and nestled in a hole in the statue's chest. It flickered like a heartbeat and turned green.

Franz turned to them in surprise. "It's throbbing!"

"Is it?" asked Saria. "Lemme see!"

They passed the rod around, feeling how it quivered in time with the pulsing light, and then Franz turned back to the statue, which had been turning around in circles as the rod moved.

At length, they began the long trek back to the beginning of the Temple, Franz carrying the rod and bashing the monsters that got in their way with the statue's hammer, which he could manipulate by swinging the rod. The statue hopped obediently after them, mimicking his every move.

Suddenly Saria looked around. "I feel that we're not alone," she said. "I feel… a fairy."

There was a dark figure skulking in the shadows, and Franz swung at it with the hammer.

There was a squeak, an impressive but blurry manoeuvre, and Rana stood in front of them, eyes wide. "Gosh, you don't have to kill me!"

"Sorry," Franz replied uncertainly. "I thought you were…"

"Don't worry about it," she said, locking eyes with Link.

He sighed. "Why were you hiding?"

"I thought you would be mad that I came after all. But I'm not going back. I can help. I know you have plenty of help, but I want to be part of that." She sounded worried, as if she wasn't sure how he would take her pushing in on the group, but her eyes flashed with a defiance he had only seen overtly from her a few times before.

"Well. I guess I can't scold you for wanting to help." He smiled at her. "Join the party."

Her face lit up, and she let out the nervous giggle she had been holding. Then she had to say hi to everyone, and took over the Saria-piggyback duties. The two girls and their three fairies chattered away, and after a moment, Midna joined them. Link wondered if Midna had had many friends in the Twilight Realm. It didn't seem like it. He was glad she was making friends now. Although… putting the impish Twilight girl together with the Kokiri girl and the Kokiri-raised Hylian girl didn't sound like a good idea in the short run. Someone was going to get pranked, hard. He just hoped it was the monsters.

They came back to the front hall, and Franz positioned the statue as a mirror image to the one that was already there. The door between them glowed with green light, and faded into nothingness.

The tunnel that sloped downward beyond was darker, damper, dingier, and unfinished-looking. Or perhaps partly broken. Either the time magic was wearing off, or the builders hadn't finished this part… or it was far older even than the rest of it.

Franz gave the Dominion Rod back to Link and shot ahead with his magic whistle, disabling the traps so they could follow him more easily. Saria had to get down so both she and Rana could jump across the deep gaps in the floor.

Deeper and deeper the corridor delved, until they were halted by a huge locked door.

"Well drat," said Saria. "Did anyone pick up a key further back?" Link and Franz looked at each other, and Midna shook her head.

"I did?" Rana said in a questioning tone, pulling a large black key out of her pocket. "I hoped I found it because you guys overlooked it, and not because you were looking for it and hadn't gotten there yet." She unlocked the door. It was stiff and she grunted as she finally got it to turn.

The next chamber was as big as an arena, without any of the seating. The only spectators were four statues around the edges of the room, sentinal-like.

Franz looked up and stifled a shocked noise.

Link looked up, with Midna in Navi's usual place on his head, and agreed with his reaction – a massive spider was skittering around on the ceiling, even bigger than Gohma had been when he was twelve. Its eye clusters stared at them menacingly, and it made clacking noises with its mandibles.

The door locked behind them.

"Scatter!" Rana cried, as the spider crawled around on the ceiling some more. "What's our strategy?"

"Franz and I shoot its eyes," Link called back. "You three, wait until it's down before you go in to attack it. Rana, take care of Saria."

"I don't think our swords can get through that armour," Rana said. "Din's Fire, perhaps?"

"I can do that," Saria said, holding the Kokiri Sword and a Kokiri Shield firmly in front of her. "You guys just knock it down."

Link fired a shot at the spiders eyes, and it flinched. An armoured plate on its back opened, and another large eyeball peered out at them. He fired again, and it fell to the floor, landing twitching frantically on its back.

"Get back!" Saria cried, running forward and doing the little hop, skip, and throwing motion that triggered Din's Fire.

At the same time, Franz swung the Rod of Dominion and one of the statues at the edge of the room swung a huge armoured fist, pounding the spider into the floor. Even Link winced at the force of the blow.

But the spider's armour was only cracked, not broken, and it flipped itself upright, hissing at them.

Link flung himself in front of Saria, almost colliding with Rana, who was trying to do the same. "Not while I'm here!" he shouted at it, stabbing at the eyes on its head. It hissed through its violently working mandibles and poked at him with a hairy armoured leg. He parried, but it was a heavy blow and he stumbled. It hopped to the side, and he followed it, keeping himself between it and the others. An arrow came whizzing over his shoulder and struck it ineffectually on the head.

"Rana!" he heard Naeri scream. "Don't be suicidal!"

"I'm not, I promise!" Rana cried, and then she bounced through the right side of his vision and onto the spider's back. It jerked even more violently, side to side, still attacking Link with its legs – which he dodged – but trying to throw Rana off as well. She hammered at the armour over the eye on its back. "You know, that Megaton Hammer would come in handy right about now. Aaaah!"

It skittered for the wall, throwing Rana off as it began to climb. Rana grunted and rolled awkwardly. Link ran to her. "You hurt?"

"I'm fine," she said, climbing to her feet.

"I'll get her back," Midna said, swooping out of nowhere and using her hair to drag Rana over to where Saria was waiting tensely.

Link studied the spider as it crawled across the ceiling once more. Rana's attack might not have been totally successful, but it was partly successful – the armour was split in the middle over the eye.

"Franz, Saria, get ready to do that fire-punching thing again!"

"Ooh, I like that," Navi said. "You should make that official."

"It's official." Link drew his second-to-last arrow to his jaw and fired it at the tiny gap. "Navi, we have more arrows, right?"

She paused. "Mayyybe. One minute." She flew off, gathering the usable arrows he had already fired. The spider was spitting out baby spiders now, and a small pool of them was gathering in the centre of the chamber.

"We'll deal with that," Midna said, and she and Rana were off at them.

Navi came back, and he tried again. "Just don't let the spider fall on you! Oh, you're good."

The spider fell over to the right, and Franz hammered it again – just barely.

Saria cast Din's Fire, and it slowly rolled over, on fire, and advanced on them. Ooze was dripping down its face from his earlier attacks. He wasn't sure if the slowness was from injury or from added menace, but quickly swapped his bow for his sword and shield anyway.

He skidded sideways to avoid a blow from its foot. With eight feet to keep track of, his senses were everywhere at once, tight to the breaking point.

Saria shouted in fear as it got right up to him, towering above him. "It's all right," he began to shout back, and then it knocked him down and pounced for the kill.

Time seemed to slow. There was a massive squelch, and just about the time he was realizing that it did not come from a giant fang piercing him anywhere, he also realized that he was about two metres further from its fangs than he remembered, and Franz was crouched over him with his arms under his shoulders. His whistle dangled from his mouth.

He looked up. The spider writhed, curled up, and died. It exploded in a cloud of flame.

"Well," he began, and stopped. There was now a crowd of baby knee-high spiders where the one giant spider had been. The one giant eyeball was among them, on spidery legs of its own. It peered at them cautiously and began to back away. He scrambled to his feet. "Oh, this will be easy!"

And it was, and fun was had by all.

.

When they emerged, Oocco clucked over the Rod of Dominion. Its light had gone out. She flew away without a backward glance, ignoring Midna's cry to come back and explain herself.

"You know," Midna said over dinner at Kokiri Village, "these Mirror shards have been causing a lot of trouble since Zant split them up. I don't know what the Mirror is like, but what if we're assembling something truly terrible, here? What if it's something we ultimately have to destroy?"

"I'm not so sure it's an evil thing when it's assembled," Link said. "The Hero from the past seemed to know what it was, and he spoke of it as "that old thing", which doesn't sound like something evil."

"Unless it's minor evil that no one's really afraid of and everyone's actually kind of fond of," Navi said. "Hey, it happens."

"Usually that only happens with attractive people," Rana said, and Midna giggled, and then grew sober.

"The real question is, how did the Mirror piece get back in time?" Link asked. "Did Zant go to all the trouble of finding a way back in time? If he did, why did he stop at hiding the Mirror piece, and not go around causing massive destruction, or taking over the kingdom then instead of now?"

"I don't think that's the case," Saria answered. "I think it's more likely that he found the Temple of Time, but it repelled him. So he hid it quickly and fled, and the Temple drew the Mirror piece into itself to keep safe from evil things. And then it waited for you to come and figure it out."

"This is such an unlikely series of events."

"Are you really going to question it? Just be happy that we only have one more to get."

"Yes, but how am I supposed to fly?"

"We'll figure something out," Navi said. "Go to bed."


	15. Chapter 15: Triumph of the Geeks

Chapter 15: Triumph of the Geeks

.

They returned to Kakariko Village late in the evening the next day, leaving Saria to watch over the forest. By the time Link got into the hotel from the stable, there was a hum of excitement in the living room.

"What's going on?" Navi asked, flying above everyone's heads to where Naeri was already hovering.

"Ilia's got something," Naeri said.

"No, no," Ilia said, wringing her hands. "I think there were monsters, but we all knew that…" She turned to Franz. "Please, sir, I need your help."

"My help?"

"I don't want to ask the Hero, he's too busy. Could you please go to Hyrule Castle Town and ask Telma if there's anything I might have left behind? Anything at all, without realizing it?"

"I can," he said, but Jakob clapped him on the shoulder.

"Not without me you aren't, Your Highness" he said with a hurt glare, and Franz winced.

"I'm sorry, Jakob. I didn't want to trouble you…"

"Like hell you didn't! Sir."

Link laughed. "Guys, hash it out on the way, huh?"

Franz patted Jakob on the back. "I'll make it up to you, I really will."

"Is that even possible, Your Highness?"

The two young men left the hotel, still arguing.

"Sorry to get everyone all worked up," Ilia said. "It wasn't anything after all."

"It's okay," Beth said. "They'll help, you'll see! We're trying a new thing!"

Link flopped on one of the couches, taking up the whole length of it. Navi fluttered down to land on his chest. "Hello, Shad. Any new clues?"

"Well, not today. I'm still puzzling over…" He frowned and looked up from his book at Link. "That ring in your voice. You found something?"

Link snapped his fingers at Navi, and a moment later was holding the dormant Dominion Rod. "Have a look at this."

Shad's eyes almost bugged out of his head, and he clutched his chest. His books and papers went flying everywhere. "My goodness! Don't give me such a heart attack! But is that… Yes! It really is!"

"It really is," Link assured him, "and it used to work, back centuries ago."

"Oh Goddesses, I can't believe it! Nayru grant me strength… May I touch it?"

"Go on, take it," Link said. "It's not much use to me right now, anyway. I probably should have left it in the Temple, but I didn't think it would power down when I left that time zone."

"So you did find it in the Temple of Time? Please, tell me everything from the beginning!"

So Link told him in as much detail as he could remember, aided and abetted by Navi and Midna, and Shad brushed the worn, carven shaft of the rod and listened intently.

"And so you say your companion said she was looking for it?" he asked when Link was done.

"As far as I can remember," Midna said, nodding.

"I wonder why… What sort of person was your companion? She seems very strong willed, to run off into the forest without even saying goodbye."

Midna smiled wickedly. "Better brace yourself, kiddo, because here comes another whammy."

"Huh?"

"She's an Oocca," Link said. "Named Oocco. She's travelling with her son around Hyrule for some reason."

Shad gasped again. "More and more marvellous! I can scarcely believe my ears! You have truly met a real live Oocca; that means that they do exist! And did exist!" He stood and began to pace in excitement, waving the Rod wildly. "It's one thing to read accounts, that are copies of translations of copies, but to actually speak to an eyewitness! It's… mind-boggling! My mind is _boggled_!"

"Sure seems like it," giggled Navi.

Shad didn't even hear her. "If you see her again, you must ask her some questions for me. Oh dear Triforce, it's too much! You are a living magnet of legends!" He turned to Link, all afire, and pushed his glasses up his nose. "You must let me tell you my thesis. My doctoral thesis! It's fascinating, at least, I think it is."

"Go ahead," Link said. "But I'm pretty sleepy tonight, so I might doze off pretty soon."

"Well, I can give you the short version tonight and the long version tomorrow."

"Sounds like a plan," Midna said, and curled up on a pillow, yawning and stretching.

The scholar didn't even notice. "Well, once upon a time, there was a race of extremely intelligent beings. They even pre-date the Hylians! The Goddesses made them, it is said, to prepare the land for Hylian settlement. When their work was completed, they relocated to a city in the sky, never to be seen again, but their work is everywhere. Why, practically every major landmark or ancient artifact bears witness to their activity! But the Dominion Rod is one of the few artifacts that was proven to be of Oocco origin, partly because it was lost so long ago and was not so badly distorted in folk lore."

"Wait," Link interrupted, somewhat late. "What was that about a city in the sky?"

"You would like to hear more about it? Well, it's said to be a paradise, where the best food grows all year round, and endless springs produce waterfalls of the water of eternal life… Folk lore, as I said, and probably not true. One book goes so far as to speculate that the Temple of Time itself was once part of this city. The part that I believe to be at least partly true are the parts that claim the city is full of amazing technology, far beyond our comprehension. Why, even this thing…" He waved the Dominion Rod around, and suddenly gave a little shriek that woke Link up with a sleepy grunt.

"I do apologize. You must have been travelling all day. Why don't you go up to your room and sleep more comfortably?"

"'Kay," Link answered, and hauled himself to his feet. "What was the panic?"

"No panic. I think I remember something in my notes that may help us with this. Ah… may I borrow it?"

"Sure, go ahead. See you tomorrow."

"Don't forget to sleep, yourself!" Navi called to Shad, who was already laying out scribbled-over sheets of paper as Link climbed the stairs.

Before he went to his own room, he checked on Rana. She was already asleep, breathing evenly, lying haphazardly across the blankets. It was too warm for blankets, certainly. He couldn't tell if she had been crying again. But he felt like he was intruding, so withdrew quickly and went to his own room.

.

By the next morning, Shad had made a huge paper-y mess of the living area. Link blinked; it looked like a slightly sepia-toned blizzard had struck. The Rod of Dominion lay on a low table in the middle of everything. "Shad?"

Shad appeared from behind the armchair, a quill stuck behind his ear and his hair all mussed up. "What is it?"

"What happened here?"

The scholar's face lit up. "I was looking for the word of Power that will activate this again! I know I have it somewhere, or at least a fragment… something that I can experiment with to find the true word of Power. But…" his face fell again. "I can't seem to find it. I'm find all sorts of other things that suddenly make shocking amounts of sense, but I think this is in one of the writings I left in Hyrule Castle Town. I shall have to return and get them." He sighed.

"Well, first, could you tell me more about what you know about the city in the sky? How did the Oocca travel to and from it?"

Shad looked delighted he had asked. "Well! I shall tell you all I know! As a rough overview, there are statues of birds scattered across Hyrule. The Dominion Rod is able to commune with these statues, although some of my sources suggest that a prayer is also necessary to activate them. They don't describe what happens when activated, but these statues are said to hide secret messages, call tornadoes, send messages to the Goddesses, and many other things, if you know how. Somehow, some people used them to gain access to the sky, although nothing says how, which is quite frustrating. Although, there is also mention of a thing called a Sky Cannon, which was supposedly built here in Eldin Province… Ah, you had better get breakfast before I really get started, because we shall be here quite a while…"

Shad talked for hours, and sometimes Link's attention wandered, but it _was_ interesting, and he needed to learn things, even if he was learning about an extremely esoteric subject that no one else but Shad would be interested in. Navi was not so interested, and went to spend time with Colin and Ralis. Rana wandered by, stayed to listen to a story about the previous Hero and some mythical miniature people, and then wandered out again.

Link also managed to catch up with some of the other people in Kakariko, particularly Malo, who had opened the shop next to the hotel and was making plans to expand to a branch in Hyrule Castle Town itself. It was impressive.

It was late afternoon when Franz and Jakob returned. Link was doing his sword exercises. They seemed to have stopped arguing, or at least Franz had his usual friendly smile on, and Jakob was no longer shouting at him, and went to take care of the horses while Franz hurried inside.

"Where's Ilia?" he asked eagerly. "We may have found something."

Ilia came running downstairs, and Navi too came in a hurry. "What? What did you find?"

Franz held out a small wooden rod. "Apparently you gave this to the doctor, and he attempted to pay part of his tab at Telma's with it. Does it help?"

Ilia took it, and as Link came closer, he saw it was actually a carved statuette with the Eye of Truth carved at the top. Ilia stared at it, wide-eyed, and her breathing went still.

"Ilia?" asked Link, taking a step closer.

She looked up at him with her mouth hanging open. "There were monsters, but an old lady saved me… We were in a hidden village, somewhere to the north. She risked her life to set me on the path to Hyrule Castle Town… She gave me this to help me get people to listen to me. She must still be in danger!"

"We'll go at once," Franz promised. "Jakob! Don't unsaddle the horses!"

"Yes, sir," came a distant shout from outside.

"I'll help," Link said.

"And if I may take advantage of your escort for part of the way," Shad said. "I must go back to Hyrule Castle Town for the rest of my notes. You may take your time, Link, until I return. I will help you solve the puzzle of the sky, rest assured."

"Yes, you can come along," Link said. "You have a horse?"

"Not personally, no… I'm not actually very good with them, either. But I won't fall off…"

"Perhaps you can borrow Rana's," Franz suggested.

"She'll probably want to come," Navi pointed out, "but you can ask her."

"I will go ask her."

"You know where she is?" Link asked.

"She'll be at her watch post south of town," Franz answered, already jogging down the street.

"I just need my bow," Link said, and darted upstairs momentarily. Shad began shovelling papers into a satchel and tucked the Dominion Rod under his arm.

Franz was back in a moment, all out of breath, and nodded to Shad. "She says you can go with her horse. It was surprisingly easy to talk her into it… I wonder what she's up to?"

"Do you know where to go?" Ilia asked. "All I remember is that it was on the north road. I think she said it was a Sheikah village."

"Shad?" Franz inquired.

"A Sheikah village?" Shad asked Ilia. "The Sheikah aren't my realm of study, so I can't tell you much about that. All I know is some vague story about how someone who was possibly the first Sheikah chieftain saved the Sky Maid from the Imprisoner, a dragon that wanted to eat her. It's rather confusing and has nothing to do with our current destination."

Link turned to Ilia and frowned. "I thought the only surviving Sheikah was Impa, and she's not old. She has silver hair, but she's not old."

"I don't know her name. I still can't remember! But she was definitely old. She looked almost old enough to be my great-grandmother."

"Well, we'll save her, don't worry," Navi told her.

Ten minutes later, the four men were headed north at a fast clip. The sun was beginning to go down but they still had enough daylight to get to the north road and back.

When they entered the first canyon, Link, Franz, and Jakob slowed a bit to watch for signs of a village, but Shad went ahead on his own.

"You'll be all right?" Link asked before he did.

"Yes, I'm sure I will. I will find an escort for the journey back, as well. Do not worry about me. Good luck against the monsters! I hope Miss Ilia gets better."

Link waved.

Navi fluttered onto his head. "Hey, you know what you could do? If you're so good at tracking things, why not be a wolf and track Ilia's trail?"

"I can try," Link said. "Although I don't know if Midna came along, and the trial might be too old."

"I'm here," Midna said, twisting around Epona's front leg. The horse snorted in surprise. "I'm always here. But I can't help you with the second thing."

"I'll try it," Link said. "One minute, Midna." He dismounted. "All right, I'm ready."

She touched the Wolf Stone to his forehead, and he collapsed to all fours. Jakob started, but Franz held up a hand to calm his guard.

"Hello, Master!" Epona whinnied. "What's going on, exactly?"

"You remember Ilia, right?"

"Yes! Of course! She's super nice to me."

"Well, she was in this area…"

"I was in this area! Come on, I'll show you where I escaped."

"If it brings us closer to where Ilia escaped, then go ahead."

"Maybe? Can I show you? It will only take a minute."

"All right, lead on."

They must have made a strange sight, two men on horseback following a wolf and a fairy following a horse. Epona let them over a rise and down to a tunnel in a cliff. "I was kept around here. Do you smell Ilia?"

"No, but I smell Bokoblins. Were you kept in the tunnel?"

"I didn't get to the tunnel. When they tried to make me go through, I kicked them and ran."

"Good girl. Well, let's see what's inside."

He turned back to a human. "Epona says this is where she escaped, and I'm hoping it's close to where Ilia also escaped." He took a few steps into the tunnel and drew his sword. "Also, Bokoblins are nearby."

"Right," Franz said. "Let's leave the horses here. The tunnel doesn't look tall enough for them."

The tunnel was a tight fit for the humans, and dark, dry, and twisting. Navi floated next to Link's ear, trying to give enough light to all of them to see their way by.

Soon, Link heard the sound of wind, and began to see a glimmer of dusky light in the bends ahead. They emerged a few minutes later in a stand of trees on the edge of a small valley.

The valley was full of old, decaying wooden buildings. They didn't look how he was expecting Sheikah architecture to look, but then it looked a lot like an older version of Kakariko, and Kakariko was supposed to be Sheikah as well.

He caught sight of movement. "There, there's a Bokoblin. And two more."

"I would expect a large number of additional ones that we cannot yet see," Franz said. "Will three of us be enough?"

Link gripped his sword tighter. "It'll be more than enough. Keep your shield up, and don't be afraid to duck when they shoot you. And watch your backs. Ready?"

"Let's go," the prince answered, giving him a determined look.

"Just stay close to me," Jakob said, hefting his spear.

Link burst out of cover, Master Sword shimmering in the setting sun, and cut down the first Bokoblin before it had time to squeal. He rolled under a volley of arrows from several stationed on the rooftops, and scrambled for a balcony that would hopefully get him up to their level.

As the Bokoblins began to shout and squall, and their weapons began to clash with the trio's, a door on the other side of the town slammed open and a Goron stomped out. He roared, clapped his hands together, and waded into the fray.

Link gaped. "Darunia?"

"Link! My sworn brother! Let us take care of these animals together, eh?"

Link grinned. "Good to see you again!" And he jumped sideways to avoid another arrow.

They were beginning to mob. While he was dealing with the archers on the roof, he looked down to see Franz and Jakob standing back to back, being harassed by the creatures. Darunia bellowed, curled into a ball, and rolled at them, taking out three just in front of Jakob. The guard jumped back, startled, and knocked into Franz, who was almost stabbed in the shoulder with a spear, if Link hadn't jumped off the roof at that moment and landed on the Bokoblin who was attacking him.

The monsters scattered and began to run into the buildings. The four warriors looked at each other and began to follow them.

"We need to get all of them!" Darunia said.

"Were you waiting for us?" Link asked.

"For anyone who could fight. Too many for me to take on my own. I'll explain later. For now, fight!"

Link nodded and ducked into a half-collapsed building. Three were in there, and they shrieked, charging at him. He took one out with a vertical swing, jumped sideways to avoid their counterattacks, and bashed one of the others in the face with his shield. It stumbled back with a drunk look on its face.

There was a crash outside, and part of the wall splintered. He raised his shield to cover his face from the flying bits of wood.

"The roof is coming down!" Navi screamed. "Get out of there!"

He dove out the window next to him and rolled, and an arrow thudded into the ground behind him.

There were four of them behind a small barricade of boxes, all pointing bows and arrows at him. He turned and jumped for cover, hissing as the sting of a near-miss seared his knee. "Navi, get my bow, please." He set an arrow on the string, peeked out quickly to check their positions, and then popped out to fire and draw back. He heard a gurgle and assumed that he got one.

Something hit him from the side and he slammed into the ground. A Bokoblin stood over him, its spear poised to stab, and it cackled.

A giant rocky fist collided with the side of the Bokoblin's head, and it flew into the wall behind and left a large dent before sliding to the ground, dead.

Darunia gave Link a hand up. "Nasty little critters, huh?" Link snuck another look at the ones he had been shooting at, and saw Jakob stabbing downwards where they had been.

"Thanks," Link said whole-heartedly. "Did we get them all?"

Darunia listened. "It's hard to tell. It's gone very quiet."

One moment and I'll check. Midna?"

Link fell to the ground in wolf form, and suddenly found himself flying through the air with the wind knocked out of him.

"What did you do that for?" Navi screamed at Darunia. "That's Link!"

The Goron looked shamefaced and wrung his hand. "I'm so terribly sorry. Reflex."

"Are you all right?" Franz asked, running to him.

Link picked himself up from where he had landed, breathing hard, and shook his head. He sniffed around and perked his ears. The smell of Bokoblin was strong still, but he couldn't hear anything. He padded out to the centre of the street, looking around, and still couldn't hear anything.

At the end of the street, in the largest, still-sturdiest building, a door opened and a tiny old woman came out, frowning imperiously.

.

Author's note: I think Stephen Merchant (voice of Wheatley) should be the voice actor for Shad if they did a movie of this particular game. :D


	16. Chapter 16: The Ancients

Author's note: Rana's theme song is Love Over Gold by Dire Straits.

.

Chapter 16: The Ancients

.

"Hero!" said the old lady, in an old, withered voice. "It took you long enough."

Link glanced at Navi, and turned back into a human. "Wait. You knew I was the Hero? Even though I was a wolf?"

She glared at him with her hands on her hips in a strangely familiar way. "I can sense things that ordinary folk cannot, Link of the Kokiri."

"… _Impa_? What happened to you?" She had been shrunk and aged, coming now barely to his waist. Her figure was dumpy, her face lined and her hair wispy, but she was still the cranky Sheikah bodyguard he remembered from before.

She tugged self-consciously at the shawl she wore. "Zant happened."

"You didn't face him alone…"

"I wasn't going to face him at all. But he caught me in transit as I attempted to make my way to Hyrule Castle to be at the Princess's side, and this happened. If I hadn't known of the existence of this village, I would never have survived and the position of the Sage of Shadow would be empty."

"I would hug you in relief," Link said, "but I think you would still kick me into the sun for it."

"But you're so cute as an old lady!" Navi said.

"I am not cute!" Impa snarled. "This is demeaning! I am a Sheikah in my prime, not a grandmother! I hate this creaky old cold stiff weak miniature body!"

"She's furious at not being able to join in warrior's work," said Darunia, coming up behind him. "Understandably. She couldn't even use her power as a Sage to fight, because that would still be too risky."

"Yes, I do understand," Link said. "In my travels, I was once transformed into a Deku Scrub. It was… uncomfortable, at least at first. And you're not the only one who's been cursed. One of my companions says that the form I know her by is not hers."

Impa looked behind her into the house. "Yes, that's him." She turned back to the others. "Come inside. Introduce yourselves, newcomers."

"I am Franz Jurgensson Graveling, Prince of Labrynna, and this is my guard Jakob."

"Is that Shoza?" Link interrupted. "Shoza, what happened to you?"

The Zora lay on a cot, heavily bandaged. He turned his head to grin weakly at Link. "A lotta stuff happened, man. This, though… got shot by an arrow. Darunia couldn't hold them off forever, and we barely made it here to safety in time."

"And then the Twilight came down," Darunia rumbled. "And then that girl came and went. And now you have come, and not a moment too soon, because our food was running low."

"I actually came on Ilia's behalf," Link said. "She's lost her memory. She managed to remember you when she recovered her Sheikah statue, that I assume you gave her, but she can't remember before that."

"She did leave something with me," Impa said, and moved to a chest of drawers. "A horse whistle."

"Ilia doesn't have a horse," Link said, confused.

"Maybe she was planning to get one," Navi said. "After all, horses would be useful in Ordon."

"She is a lovely young woman," Impa said calmly. "Very kind and brave. She was patient with me in my frustration at my new form. She left this to me as all the valuables she carried with her, although I promised her I would return it once we met again. I hope the best for her in life."

"She is nice," Navi said. "I like her, too."

"So you finally made it to Hyrule," Impa said to Franz. "It can't have been a pleasant welcome, Your Highness."

"It wasn't, no," Franz said. "But Link saved Jakob and me, took us in, healed Jakob, and let me fight with him. I'd say that besides the war and the loss of five of my guard, my reception has been very welcoming, and I look forward to the renewal of ties between Hyrule and Labrynna after our inevitable victory. I take it that you are the Impa that Princess Zelda spoke of in her letters."

"I would be, yes."

Link had moved over to Shoza while the Franz was explaining things. "How are you doing? I wondered where you were when I visited Zora's Domain and didn't see you."

Shoza coughed. "Did anyone tell you about Ruto?"

Link nodded, his eyes sad and sympathetic. "Nabooru told me."

"Darunia told me. I've been… I've been looking for a way to bring her back. There must be a way. I mean, Rana-girl got brought back only a few days before, and Ruto didn't leave a body… I can't give up hope, Link! I can't!" He reached up and grabbed the front of Link's tunic, holding on with a surprisingly strong grip, his black eyes blazing and determined. "I need to know she's alive. Even if…" He sagged back suddenly, looking weary. "I'm not saving her so I can date her. I just want to tell her that I love her, and… and see what she says. My rescuing her doesn't give her any obligations."

"You've been looking for a loophole in death for three years for the woman you love, and you're not even going to ask for a date?" Navi said. "Respect, dude."

Shoza grinned weakly. "Well, that's how it works, isn't it? Maybe she'll just see my work as creepy, and be all 'ewww, you were obsessed with me for three years? Get a life, man!'. But I don't care. Not yet, anyway."

"We'll find a way to get her back," Link promised. "Although I may have to put that off until after we finish saving Hyrule from Zant. But if I find anything, I'll let you know."

He turned as Darunia called him. "Link! We should move to Kakariko. It is much more defensible, and we can plan things with other strategists!"

"It certainly seems to have become our main base of operations," Link said. "I think the Resistance started in Hyrule Castle Town, but almost half of the original members are in Kakariko now."

"Then let us go there!"

Link looked at Shoza. "Are you well enough to travel? Not really?"

"I have something that may help," Jakob offered, coming forward and handing Link a bottle full of red liquid. Link uncorked it and gave it to Shoza, helping him sit up. Shoza gulped down half of it.

"Thanks, man," he said to Jakob. "That really helps. I think I can walk, now."

"Can you ride?" Link asked.

Shoza shuddered. "I really don't like horses."

"Well, you can ride with me. Epona won't mind. We need to get you back as quickly as we can, and night is falling. Monsters will be coming out."

"I'll take Lady Impa," Franz volunteered.

"I will roll," Darunia said. "I can keep up with horses."

"Come on," Link said, and helped Shoza stand, putting an arm under his shoulders. "It's really not that bad to ride a horse."

"Maybe I'll pass out," Shoza grumbled, but mounted Epona as Link helped him.

Impa tucked a book into her shawl. "This should be given to a student of history."

Navi laughed. "Boy, do we know one of those!"

.

They arrived again at Kakariko after midnight. Renado was still awake, and came to assist Shoza, who had been sick on the way.

Ilia, too, had waited up, and ran to greet Impa. "You're alive! I'm so glad. I was worried… well, ever since I remembered what happened."

"I am alive, child. It will take more than a pack of Bokoblins to slay me, even in this old body. And here, here is something of yours again."

Ilia took the horse whistle, and her eyes opened, wide and unseeing. "Oh!" She paused for several moments. "I remember!"

"What do you remember?" Impa asked gently – as gently as Impa could ask. Link was surprised. He had only really seen her harsh, warrior side.

Ilia's gazed travelled around the room, glancing down at the whistle she held, and finally focused on Link. "I remember you. And Daddy, and Ordon, and everyone… everything…" She buried her face in her hands for a minute. When she came up again, there was a tear track on her dusty cheek.

Impa took her and led her to the couch to sit down, while Darunia hovered over the back of it. "It's all right, child. It must be a shock. Take deep breaths."

Ilia did, and Franz brought her a glass of water. "Thank you. Oh, I've been so… aloof with Beth and the others. I know I couldn't help it, but… I've worried everyone so."

"No one thinks any less of you," Link said. "In fact, you're one of the real heroes of Hyrule. What good is it for a soldier to keep fighting if the people can't keep going? You've kept going through some incredibly dark times, despite having no memory, which probably made it orders of magnitude more difficult. It's that spirit that Zant will never overcome."

Ilia blushed deeply. "Or made it easier, since I didn't remember anything else… Thank you."

"No problem."

"So, wait. I know Colin said that you were Green, but you were actually Link, but I didn't understand what he meant until now. I… what were you thinking!?"

That was the Ilia he knew, berating him for his obvious stupidity. He smiled. "I think a lot of things. But I'm glad you're mad at me. That means everything's back to normal."

"Well, mostly. We're all changed, aren't we."

"It's true. But now you can appreciate that."

"Yeah. Well…" she lifted the horse whistle, looking at it, and turned to Link. "I… I was making this for you… So you could call Epona with it. I know you have that little Ocarina…" He still had the Fairy Ocarina that Saria had given him. "But I thought this might be helpful, because its sound can carry farther. So, if you want it…"

"Thank you very much," Link said, accepting it. "It's lovely."

Ilia smiled wide. "I'm so glad you like it!" And she blushed a little, and huddled up as if embarrassed.

She stood. "I should probably sleep, now that my little crisis has been resolved. Thank you so much, everyone… Impa, Darunia, Franz, Jakob… Link…"

.

"She forgot me," Navi said, unsurprised, on the front porch a few minutes later. "Oh well. She never really met me. It's easy to do."

Link held up a finger for his fairy. "I won't forget you. Not that such a thing is even possible."

"Oh, well, you know. I do what I can."

"I couldn't fight the evil without you, Navi. Or anyone else here. I need everyone."

"Don't you dare start," Navi warned him. "Don't you dare start on that speech where if you lose any one of us, you'll never forgive yourself and you'll be a failing failure who failed. I hate that speech." She paused. "Though, fortunately, you haven't seemed to have been in that mood recently. I hope that's a sign of how things are going to continue."

"I hope so too."

Casually, he glanced around at the quiet town, and blinked at Rana, huddled under a corner of the porch. "You all right?"

She wiped her eyes quickly and tried to smile at him. It looked ghastly. "I'm fine."

"You sure? Because…"

"Go to bed, Link, you of all people can't help." She took a deep breath, and her face set. "I'm fine. Really."

That stung. "I guess you're right." She flinched almost imperceptibly. But she was determined to look strong in front of him, and he wouldn't push that, so he went back inside.

He crept upstairs, glancing in the room where Renado was working with Shoza. "Need any help?"

Renado looked up. "Thank you, but no. He will heal in due time. Go to bed, Link."

He turned in to his room, pulled off his gear, and flopped on the bed, stretching out. It was nice to be in bed at last. Maybe that was why people kept telling him to go there. Navi was already asleep. She must have been even more tired.

He frowned, his eyes still closed. He could hear murmurs from outside, below his window. It sounded like Rana and… Midna? He wouldn't have pegged those two for being particularly close friends, but he was glad they got along.

"…every woman in Hyrule loves him…"

Wait, he could actually tell what she was saying. That was bad. He rolled over noisily and put the pillow over his head.

That was too hot. He couldn't breathe under there, and anyway that was a dumb idea.

"…your point being?" Midna asked.

"It's better now, because maybe he'll meet the one who's for him. She's obviously crazy about him. Maybe she'll be able to make him happy." Did he really need a girl to make him happy? The issue was more Rana was unhappy because she had no boy, wasn't it? He couldn't remember her needing someone before.

He really ought to have told them to go somewhere he couldn't hear them, but then they would know he had been listening. So unhealthy curiosity and awkwardness kept him there, still, silent.

"You just saying that because you're too subservient. If you love this guy, go get him! I thought you were getting better with it when you joined us at the last place."

"Don't be silly, you can't make people fall in love. And I'm just getting better at hiding it. He surprised me tonight."

"Maybe you can't force it, but I have this feeling – back me up here, fairy – that you've been trying too hard to be something that you think he wants you to be, instead of who you are, and that's certainly not helping."

"I don't know who I am," Rana mumbled. "If someone could tell me…"

"I'll tell you," Naeri said, her voice confident and oddly strong. "You're still the little girl you've always been. You know pain, and fear, and suffering; you know loss and rage and all those things that you hate to show."

"I heard about your past," Midna said. "You are strong, if you lived through all those things and hide them so well now. I wouldn't even guess that you could want vengeance so badly. Geez."

"Despite all these things," Naeri continued, more softly, "you still hold on to your innocence, your energy, your ability to laugh in the face of evil as if it was some cute little thing that you want to pet. I remember when you were small; even when you were terrified of the forest, you still found pleasure in the strange things, the unknown things. You scampered all around like a hyperactive kitten, looking wide-eyed at everything, climbing the trees, dragging Link and Saria into mischief. You gave Mido as good as you got, and more, because you loved everything."

Midna laughed. "No, I can't see that Saria person getting into much trouble on her own."

"Guys, I tell myself these things in my head, but it doesn't help." Rana sniffled. "I just feel empty. I can't be that person right now. I don't know who she is."

Midna sighed. "You just asked us to tell you who you are."

"I'm sorry. I don't know… Thanks for being here, though. I hope I'm not annoying you…"

"Hey, what about Franz?" Midna asked. "He's pretty cute. Go make eyes at him."

Rana snorted. "He's cute. But that wouldn't work. I'd be fooling myself and treating him unfairly. I can't forget Link so easily, even if we only had a few days together in our relationship. I waited three years for him, and he waited ten for me… He's done so much for me, and I've done so little in return…"

"Well, that's because his loyalty is like yours – once he gives it, he doesn't take it back. I guess love is different from loyalty. How do you give it so easily, though?"

"It's who she is," Naeri said. "Sometimes, it has to be earned, like when she met Ashei. But in general, she can decide on the reality of her world very easily – and then it sticks come hell or high water."

"So she decided she was in love?"

"I didn't mean that," Naeri said. "But it doesn't change the fact that she will love him for a very long time, even if he turns into a jerk. And it's not faked, either, and I'm pretty sure it's mostly based on the reality we all share."

"He's not a jerk," Rana said. "I don't think he will turn into one, either. He was probably still just depressed. And now he's not, which is good for Hyrule – we need an undepressed Hero. But I'm depressed, and I'm being selfish, and it all hurts. And it's going to keep hurting for a long time, according to the people I know who've had their hearts broken. But I'll keep trying. I really will."

"I'll drag you kicking and screaming into personal interaction with other humans," Naeri promised. "Some days maybe you won't do so well. But I'll keep you up. You just stay strong the way you are. Go back to your past to find your future."

Rana snorted again. "Sure. Okay. I'll go try to pretend to sleep now. See you later." He heard a creak and a shuffle.

He rolled over. That was the most uncomfortable thing he had ever heard. But it was at least partly true that he liked Rana; it just didn't feel right to be in a relationship with her. Still, he wished she wasn't hurting so much even now. She seemed to want him to be happy, and he was, though the world would just keep throwing low and high points at him randomly because that was how life worked. He wished Midna hadn't encouraged her about him. She was just making Rana's spiral worse.

Maybe… maybe he should try to help her. Except that would also encourage her. Surely Rana could have any man she wanted. She was a little crazy, and reckless, but she was also kind, brave, loyal, and loving, and she could fight as well as any Sheikah…

But all the women in Hyrule liking him? That was just ridiculous. Half the people didn't even know he existed, or who he was, and even if they did, he was sure they didn't all find him that attractive.

Although… a lot of people said that he was. So what did he know, maybe they were right.

.

He woke to find Shad sitting in the corner of his room, curled up in a decidedly uncomfortable position, studiously flipping through the book Impa had taken. "Good morning!" he called cheerfully as Link raised his head blearily and peered at him through drooping eyelids. He was practically bouncing, and his normally pleasant face was almost cracking in half with the force of his smile.

"What time is it?" Link mumbled. "How long has he been looking like that?"

Navi fluttered down to eyelevel. "Long after sun-rise. You slept very well! I'm pleased. Although it reminds me of when we first met and you would sleep all the time."

"I did?" Link asked, surprised. "I guess I did. But I didn't really notice once our adventure began. How did you know?"

"I'm smart," she said, smugly. "I heard about it from Saria. Anyway, Shad asked if he could see you when you woke up, and he said he would be quiet, so I let him in. He just got back an hour ago, with good news, I take it. You wanna talk to him?"

Link yawned and stretched, twisting in the bed, pulling the sheets out from their position tucked neatly under the mattress. "Ow. I'm really stiff today. I thought I stretched yesterday… Yeah, that's fine. But I might not be a very good conversationalist at this exact moment."

Shad waved that off. "Fine, fine. I just want your ear. I think you'll be interested. You see, this book is all about the Attic of the Sky, and the great Wings that rule there. Or maybe just live there. I'm not sure about the wording."

Link sat up. "You think they have the mirror piece in this Attic in the Sky?"

"Well, I certainly wouldn't know. This mirror was only broken a few days ago, wasn't it? This book is several hundred years old." He caressed it lovingly. "It's in magnificent condition. I'm glad my cry of joy did not wake you earlier, when Lady Impa gave it to me."

"He squealed like a girl," Navi giggled, and Shad blushed.

"Ah, er, yes, well… I was excited. You can surely excuse a little bit of high-pitched enthusiasm…"

Link smiled and yawned again. "Sure."

"So as I was going to say, you could certainly take the Attic in the Sky as a starting place, ask the natives if they've seen a mirror. I wonder how Zant got it up there?"

"He wouldn't have done it himself," Midna said, popping up from the foot of the bed.

"What were you doing down there?" Link asked. "I thought you were hanging out with Rana last night."

She shot him a glare. "I'm bound to your shadow, not hers."

"I thought that was a choice thing, even more so now that you're able to live in the Light World."

She hesitated. "You got me. Still. Zant probably broke it and gave it to his servants to take care of. Three of those birds, in three directions, with the power of the mirror… they would get a long way. I could believe one of those birds made it to the sky."

"Could we get one of those to carry us?"

"Probably not. I think they only live in the Twilight."

Link sat back, deflated. "Well there goes one brilliant idea."

"Don't worry," Shad said, wriggling in excitement. "I feel this book might give us some more clues as to how the ancient Hyrulians kept in touch with with people of the Attic in the Sky… I just need more time to study it. But it is promising! Look!" He suddenly jumped up, bounding across the room to sit beside Link on the bed, showing him some kind of picture.

"What am I looking at?" Link asked.

"This!" Shad said, pointing more vehemently, as if it would help make the picture more clear. "A bird statue! It's very stylized, but there's no doubt."

"Hang on," Link said, putting a hand to his head. "I think… Renado has one in his basement."

Shad jumped to his feet. "Are you serious?" he yelled. "He had one all this time, and I…? Come on! Don't even bother getting dressed, this is important!"

Link laughed heartily. "I'm getting dressed. But you go on ahead and talk to Renado about his basement."

"Oh!" Shad said, turning around in the doorway, just as Link pulled his tunic over his head. "I almost forgot!" He reached into his pack and pulled out the Dominion Rod, good as new. "It worked! I found the Word of Power in my notes! Isn't it beautiful!?"

"It is," Link said. "Have you tried it out yet?"

Shad's smile only diminished the tiniest amount. "Unfortunately, it probably only reacts with statues created with certain… characteristics, the likes of which are not commonly found in Hyrule now. But I look forward to experimenting with it! Ah, carefully, of course, and with your permission. I certainly wouldn't want to break something that we went to all this trouble to find and fix."

"Go ahead," Link said. "If I go to the Sky Attic, I'll probably take it with me. Perhaps you can come. But you can have it back after."

"Don't tease me!" Shad moaned. "I would give anything to go see the ancient city with my own eyes. But in the meantime, I must speak with Renado." He disappeared, and Link could hear his shoes galloping away, taking stairs two at a time.

.

By the time he got down to Renado's house, the trap door to the basement was open. He let himself down, and then noticed that there was a ladder. He could have taken the ladder. Next time.

A short way into the corridor, there was the bird statue he had seen once before, when he was banishing Twilight from the land. But it… was in a different place. There was a small entrance in the wall, hidden when the bird was in its normal place. He passed through it, turning sideways to fit, and made his way slowly down the stairs.

There was something large, egg-shaped, and vaguely gleaming like metal or maybe enamel down there. There was also Renado, bending over Shad.

Renado looked up. "He passed out."

"Hi!" Luda said from behind him. "Breakfast is ready, Daddy. Wow, what a strange object! What does it do?"

"It… it's a sky cannon," Navi said in wonder. "Like in the book. Wow."

Midna flew up to be closer to it. "It's very old. It might not work anymore. But since when have we let that stop us?" She turned back to Link, her old devilish grin in place. "You want me to take this outside and we'll have a proper look at it? We can send you catapulting into the sky. Won't that be fun?"

Link stared at it. It looked sort of like a dismembered golden ostrich with no head. "Should we really move it? It might be fragile."

"I can deal with that," Midna said, studying her nails. "But if you want to make doubly sure, we can wait for Shad to come round. He looks pretty happy to be lying there, though."

Link smiled at the young man's blissful face. "He does. This must be what heaven feels like to him."

Shad's eyes flickered open. "Yes, heaven, yes, sky, clouds, birds, wonderful!"

Link knelt beside Renado. "Hang on, there, Shad. You're talking nonsense."

"You've had a bit of a shock," Navi said. "Just relax. That giant brain of yours doesn't have to go so fast."

Shad sat up abruptly. "I'm fine, all of you! Thanks for your concern. I'm fine, though, really. My dear chap, how can my faculties leave me now, on my greatest discovery? And it was in large part due to you, as I am pretty certain no amount of force or coaxing would have moved that statue otherwise. Now, what shall we do with this?"

"I was going to ask you," Link said. "Do you think we could move it?"

"It's a bit heavy, don't you think?"

"Not for me," Midna said, flexing her hair. "I have enough power to move this outside. Where you can look at it more easily."

"You just want to move it, I think," Link said. "Why's that?"

She tossed her hair. "I'm also interested in it. Isn't that good enough? Why do you have to doubt everything I say?"

"I'm sorry," Link said, and he meant it. "Let's take it outside, then."

Midna grinned. "We're going to be firing humans at clouds in no time!" Her hair shot forth like an army of octopuses, wrapping around various loose parts of the cannon and a large part around the egg-shaped barrel itself. With a grunt of strain, she yanked them from the ground, and they burst into small black squares.

"What's going on?" Shad cried in alarm.

Link put a hand on his arm. "It's fine. This is how she transports things. Including me, and I'm still in one piece. Now we have to get outside. Thanks, Renado."

"I am glad to be of service," Renado rumbled.

"To think, we lived here so many years and hadn't a clue?" Luda said. "Everyone knew about the old well and its stories, but this might as well have not existed for all we knew…"

"That's how it goes," her father said. "The most amazing things are right under our very noses."

Link and Shad made it out in time to see the last of the cannon come together just between the edge of the road and Renado's garden.

Midna let go of it and took a step back in the air, examining it thoughtfully. "Well, now, this is very interesting."

"Promising, but puzzling," Navi said. "How are we going to fix it?"

"An excellent question," Shad said. "I think the Resistance can find you what you need. If someone would like to go to Hyrule Castle Town…"

"I'll go," Rana said from behind them. In fact, pretty much everyone in Kakariko was gathered around.

Link jumped. "Hi."

"Hi," she said, looking at the cannon and not at him. But her face was steady, and her eyes were maybe not so deeply shadowed today. "That's pretty cool."

"It is more than just pretty cool!" Shad exclaimed, waving his arms around happily. "It's the greatest discovery of the year! Well, there are so many amazing things turning up, but this might be it! Until we find the Attic in the Sky! Imagine what we'll find in peace-time, once things have settled down and we have the resources to go exploring the forgotten corners of our kingdom! I'm beginning to realize that I've wasted my life reading until now."

"Pfft, no you haven't," Luda said. "You have to know the theory before you can practice it, right? You need to both read and explore."

"Yes, you're quite right. But I shall definitely be making expeditions after this whole kerfuffle dies down. Perhaps I can request you as my guide?" He looked at Link.

"Um… sure?"

"Unless you are busy, in which case perhaps I'll asked Miss Rana."

She managed a smile. "Yeah." But it quickly faded away again. "I'll go get in touch with Auru, ask about cannoneers. There are some in Hyrule, aren't there?"

"Yes," Impa said. "At least, there used to be."

"I will ask among my people," Darunia said. "I think Shoza's quest must wait until he is healed, and until then, I can safely make a trip home. Our people work with bombs! Someone must be able to work with cannons as well. I will see you soon." He curled up and began to roll away.

"Hmm," Rana said. "I have a longer journey. I'd better get going." She turned and began jogging to the stable.

"Wait!" Midna said. "You're not going alone! I mean, with only Naeri!"

"Oh, right." Rana thought. "Well, I could! You need everyone you can get here. I'm good. They won't catch me."

"Oh, for crying out loud," Midna said. "You stubborn girl. Let me come with you, then."

"You go on," Link said. "You can carry on with your discussion."

Rana turned red up to the tips of her delicately pointed ears. "Fine." She whirled, embarrassment adding energy to her movements, and loped towards the stable again. Midna glared at Link, made a horrible troll face, and followed her.

"Um, very tactful," Navi said.

"I'm sorry," Link said. "I keep putting my foot in it today."

Navi smirked. "Where else do you put it?"

"Well, I'd like to put it on Ganondorf's head, but I think that will have to wait. Shad, do you have need of me?"

"Well, I'd like to keep you nearby so I can brief you on what I learn in this book. It has some rather convoluted descriptions of the technology you'll find in the Attic in the Sky, and I believe you will find it very useful, even if it's probably hopelessly outdated by now. Every little bit helps!"

"This will be the most prepared I've ever been for a quest," Link commented. "Usually I just jump in and wing it. Usually I'm constrained by time. Usually I don't have even a chance to find out anything beforehand from any source. …I wonder how much better this approach will be."

"Well, I'm looking forward to finding out," Navi said.

"I thought you were teasing me for being a history geek?"

"Yeah, but this is different."

"I see no difference…"

"Oh, well, that's fine. Go listen to Shad read the nice book." Link snorted.

.

They spent the rest of the day working hard, although he didn't have any real goal until Rana and Midna came back. He practised his form. He showed Rusl some of it – he had grown better than the older man again, and it was like when he had first arrived in Ordon all over again. He hadn't even noticed he was getting better, in some ways.

He even had time to look at the fishing rod Colin was building with Ralis. Ilia was hanging around, uncharacteristically shy, twisting her hands behind her back, and he smiled at her, and she smiled back but didn't approach him.

Was this a taste of what it was like to be at peace, to be himself again in peacetime?

Nothing untoward happened all day, although Talo almost hurt himself in pushing himself to be better than his best at his look-out post. Other than that, Link took the first watch on the hill above Kakariko and prepared to do a lot of introspective thinking for the next four hours.

When he was relieved by Rusl, he didn't go straight to the hotel. Instead, he wandered down to the graveyard.

Why, he wasn't sure. He'd never really visited it, except for that one time that he had passed through to the Shadow Temple. He glanced up at the cliff face. Yes, the Royal Family's tomb was still there, and the Temple entrance behind it.

He paced along the lines of graves, Navi lighting up the names for him. Most of them were family names of some kind or another. Some of them were so old he couldn't read them, and he wondered how old Kakariko was compared to Hyrule.

He turned onto a newer line of graves, and noted with a frown that the date they read was twenty-one years ago. Many of the lives there had been young, or at least middle-aged. It didn't take a genius to guess that was when Ganondorf first attacked Hyrule. But he had made it all the way to Kakariko from the Gerudo Desert?

He was suddenly glad he had never seen a battle between armies. Hyrule was at war, it was true; it was half-conquered, half-broken, and terrified, even though it hid its fear as it could. But the invasion that took place when he was born must have been much, much worse. And it wasn't something that one lone hero could fix, even with friends. An army of friends was not a real army.

He came to one pair of names and stopped. Rin and Kulani, aged twenty-eight and twenty-four when they died. A chill ran down his spine.

Who were these people? What had their lives been like? What was it like in Hyrule before it had entered twenty years of unrest?

He turned to see the golden wolf watching him.


	17. Chapter 17: The Sky's Loft

Author's note: Franz wut you doin.

.

Chapter 17: The Sky's Loft

.

"Hello," Link said.

The spirit world faded in around him. "Hello," said the Hero from the past. "I see you found your parents."

Link started back in shock. "Wait, what? Really?"

"Yes, really. I know you never knew their names, or anything about them. But you're blessed by Farore, which may account for your intuition."

"How do you know they're my parents? Have you talked to them… in the afterlife?"

"Well, I do like to meet my descendents. I see them now and again. They're very proud of you, of course. They would tell you so themselves, but they are happy to wait to meet you. They certainly don't want to rush it."

"No, I guess not," Link said. "This is going to take a while to sink in."

"And your mother wants grandchildren." The Hero laughed.

Link snorted. "Isn't that the stereotype for mothers?"

The Hero laughed again, his tail wagging. "I suppose it is. I sure was happy to have grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, and even great-great-grandchildren, although by that point it's a little bit strange, because your presence has long ceased to have any real meaning to those people. It's like reading a very long story, and wanting to find out what happens next. And a lot of my ancestors feel the same about me. It's disconcerting."

Link thought about that. "My parents died fighting against Ganondorf, didn't they? I know my mother made it to Kokiri Forest to hide me there."

"Yes. Your father fought against Ganondorf himself. He was a brave knight, fighting for the defense of his home, his wife, and his son. When he failed, your mother rode to the forest in a last desperate attempt to save you. If she hadn't been followed, she would probably have tried to stay with you, but Ganondorf himself followed her. So you have two more reasons to hate him…"

Link shook his head. "I have enough things to hate Ganondorf for. He has enough to answer for. I'm not going to associate him with my parents, or the other way around. I will find him, and I will kill him, and that will be the end of it. At least, until Gannon finds some other outlet into this world."

"Very true. Now, show me what you have been working on."

.

In the morning, Link went in search of Shad, and found him talking to Impa in the living room. "Hi. Sorry to interrupt, but I have a question."

"Oh, yes?"

"Actually, now that I think about it… Impa, perhaps you could answer this better. I visited the graveyard last night…"

"I don't know anything about graves," Shad said.

"And you probably haven't focused on relatively recent history, either. Impa, what do you know about two people named Rin and Kulani?"

"A brave knight, and his beautiful wife. They were in the guard of Kakariko when I was but a child and my mother was the mayor. Sir Rin was a quiet man, honourable, and he used to live in Hyrule Castle Town before he moved to Kakariko to raise his family. His wife was equally devoted to him, and she was brave in her own right; I heard she was a farmhand before they met, but I never asked her on that. It's not something one asks the wife of a knight! She was gentle as a dove, and kind to all the children. When Ganondorf attacked, he was of course mobilized, but allowed to command the division defending Kakariko. He faced Ganondorf himself, and was slain in the resulting combat. I tried to help, but I was only fourteen, and not very skilful then. My mother was also killed in that battle, though she brought down the chief of Ganondorf's lieutenants. Kulani disappeared after the battle, and I never knew what happened to her until her body was found near the forest a week later. I never found out what happened to the child they had."

Link sat down. "Thank you."

Impa suddenly looked hard at Link. "You think you were the child? That they were your parents?"

"I know so." But Link didn't say that his ancestor told him. That would have sounded crazy. "I… kind of want to know about them, now that I'm back in Hyrule. Just to know. As a child, I didn't think about it, because I thought I was a Kokiri. But…"

"I understand," Impa said. "I will tell you as much as I can remember. I saw Sir Rin quite often. Kulani I saw less, though perhaps Renado could tell you more about her."

"This is astonishing," Shad said. "Perhaps you can find other family members, now that you know who your parents were!"

"Perhaps," Impa said. "But Rin was an only child, so it might be difficult to find relatives of your father. Perhaps the records in Hyrule Castle will reveal more about your mother. We shall see."

"We shall," Link said, smiling. "Thank you so much. I…"

"Look out!" Talo screamed from his watchtower far up the hill. "There's monsters coming from the north!"

Link jumped up and checked his sword. "Gotta go. Thanks."

"Fight strongly, Hero," Impa told him.

He ran out into the street, where Franz, Jakob, and Rusl were gathering. "How many monsters? What kind?" he called up to Talo.

"A lot of goblin thingies on boars!" Talo yelled back. "With a bunch of wolves and giant birds, and… and spiders! Giant spiders, eww!"

"All right," Link said to the others. "Do any of us have any practical tactical experience?"

"Well…" Jakob began mildly. "I've served in the Labrynnan army since I came of age, and being assigned to His Highness doesn't mean I don't remember tactics…"

Link turned to him. "Please, guide us."

Jakob's eyebrows rose thoughtfully. "I'm not sure how I can plan against… wolves and birds and spiders. But… they have two choke points. One is the natural bridge across the ravine."

"Let's go there now," Link said. "You can tell us more on the way. Should I get Epona?"

Jakob shook his head as they began to run down the street. "You'd be more mobile, yes, but if you were to charge anything you would be outnumbered and surrounded. I have no doubt you could survive it, but I'm sure no one here wants you to take that risk."

He outlined a simple plan: they had a barricade near the bridge, but it wasn't really heavy enough to stop a boar's charge. Still, it would slow them for a while, especially if the other creatures attacked first. Franz and Jakob would shoot at the birds, while Link and Rusl dealt with the other things.

There were more there than he expected. Was this one of Zant's attempts on his life; on the life of Hyrule?

Everything was going all right, but the barricade was blown away in ten minutes and they retreated to Kakariko Gate, which was a bit sturdier. Link took up his bow and joined the archers, trying to keep the monsters from reaching the gate in the first place.

Everything was fine until Franz took a flaming arrow in the thigh. He growled and ripped it out, throwing down his bow and advancing on the monsters.

"Franz! What are you doing?" Link demanded, running up beside him. Franz was still on fire. "Get that fire out!"

"Fire is no trouble," Franz said. "My earrings protect me from that. But that hurt! They will pay for that!"

"Or they'll kill you!"

"Don't be so sure of that! I know what I'm doing. I can take them. Just watch." The flames shot up around him, and Link backed away from the heat. "I will kill them!

"Franz! Have you gone crazy?"

"He does this every once in a while," Jakob shouted from further back. "Try to get him back here, please! Before he hurts himself. Or you."

"Franz-!"

A wave of fire ripped forward from Franz, igniting the dried bushes around the edge of the road. The monsters in front squealed as they turned crispy. There was a throwing motion from the pillar of fire and fireballs flew towards the enemy.

Link backed away. "What's gotten into you?"

"Hey!" came a Goron roar from the gate. "What's going on? Why is that human on fire?" Without waiting for an answer, Darunia and four Gorons strode forward, and Darunia knocked Franz to the ground. "Fire's not good for humans, silly! Link, help me put him out!"

Link rolled Franz over until the flames went out. His clothes were charred to ruins, but…

"You're not hurt," Link said in confusion. "Except for the arrow…"

"Get him back here!" Jakob yelled. "We still have incoming!"

"Not anymore," Link said, drawing the Master Sword again and holding it wide in a crouch. He gave Franz a push back towards the gate.

"No," said another voice, and the ground trembled. "Not anymore."

Before the first monster could even take a swing at Link, a bony claw burst out of the ground at its feet and grabbed it. It screeched and flailed, and a complete skeleton pulled itself from the ground. All around, skeletons were emerging from the dirt or cracks in the stone. Some of them had ghostly faces.

Link stared at them in fascination. They were obviously friendly, but… the only other friendly Stalfos he had ever encountered was the Hero from the past.

The one who had risen next to him drew a ghostly sword. "Hello… Link."

"…Father…?"

The ghost gave him a cheerful smile. "Good to see you too. Let's drive back these beasts!"

A grin slowly spread across his face. "It would be an honour."

They ran forward together, and Link found their fighting styles oddly matched. "It's an honour for _me_ ," his father said, as he decapitated a spider. "You're the Hero. You succeeded where I failed. You defeated Ganondorf."

"I couldn't have succeeded without you," Link countered. "Or my mother. Or Navi. Navi, this is my father. Father, this is my fairy partner Navi."

"Hi!" Navi said.

"Hello," said his father goodnaturedly.

"And I had to wait seven years."

"You still did it. Don't make excuses for your own competence," his father said.

Link smiled. "Duly noted. I'm still very glad to meet you. Even though I only found out your name last night."

"But we did meet once."

"What?"

"You were dreaming…"

"On Koholint?" Link actually stopped fighting and stared at his father. He was young and was light-haired, long enough to be tied back in a small ponytail. He wore an older style of armour, although it was torn in several places. His face was marred by a massive wound that cut through his helmet and his left eye – it was probably the one that killed him. His remaining eye still shone brightly.

Rin casually batted away an arrow and turned to him. "Yes, on Koholint. I became caught in your dream world. I wasn't really aware of what was going on at the time. I became consumed by a need to find our old house here in Kakariko… and you found it for me. Although it had aged as well as I had…"

"Will you two watch out?" Darunia bellowed, and smashed a spider into pulp just in front of them.

"But you're doing so well," Link said, smiling.

"We should join back in," Rin said. "Your swordplay is excellent, by the way. Who has been training you?"

"One of the previous Heroes. I don't know who. He says he's met you in the afterlife. Thank you."

"I'll check."

That meant a lot to him, and the heavy Master Sword felt light as he clove through the enemies.

They began fleeing soon after, except the spiders, which had to be killed one by one.

"Take care," Rin said, before he and his bones faded away into nothing again.

"Good bye," Link said softly, and turned back to the gate.

Franz was unconscious, though he still did not appear to hurt in any way besides the arrow wound in his leg. Imp was there, bending over him.

"Impa!" Link cried. "I thought you felt it was too risky to fight."

"I changed my mind when Darunia returned with reinforcements. Did you have a nice chat?"

"Yes, I did. Thank you for the opportunity."

"It's not an ability I can use overly often," Impa said. "The dead are dead and they must rest. There must be an abundance of restless spirits in an area before I can do that, and it's very draining."

"It's one of your powers as a Sage, isn't it?" Link asked.

Impa nodded. "I am still not sure of my full powers as the Sage of Shadow, although I have full access to any that I may have."

"It means a lot to have spoken to my father. Even if he can't come back."

Impa bowed. "I am glad to have been of service."

"We should get His Highness inside," Jakob said to Rusl. "He's going to wake up very dehydrated."

"What was that all about?" Rusl asked, picking up Franz's feet as Jakob hauled him up under the shoulders. Bits of his clothing were flaking off. At this rate he would be only wearing his scalemail by the time he got back to the hotel.

"I dunno, really. He has these enchanted earrings that protect him from being burned… but the ability to control fire and the psycho personality… those only come out when he's actually on fire. We never asked him about, and he never told us."

Talo came running to meet them. "That was awesome! What happened to Mr. Franz? Is he okay?"

"He'll be okay," Link told him. "Thanks for warning us about the attack."

"You can count on me!" Talo said, making a monstrous grin at him and dashing back up the hill to his observation post.

Something bumped into Link from behind, and he staggered, and turned to see Goron Link trying to hug him. "Hey, there, kiddo."

"Hi! You fought off the nasty bad guys, didn't you!"

"Yes, we did, all of us, especially your dad."

"He wouldn't let me come. I'm not afraid! But he let me come down here to the village."

"I thought it would be good for him to try something new," Darunia said. "Meeting new humans is sure to be exciting for him."

Goron Link looked around. "There are so many humans here! I've never seen so many humans in one place before!"

Navi laughed. "Just wait until your dad takes you to Hyrule Castle Town."

"Let me introduce you to the other kids," Link said. "I think you'll get along well with them."

Franz woke up a few hours later, just after supper. Ilia came to get Link.

The prince was looking very tired; there were dark circles under his eyes. But he still smiled cheerfully and sat up with energy. "Hello, Link. You must be wanting an explanation."

"I think everyone is," Navi said. "Including Jakob. He said this has happened before?"

Franz laughed a little and looked away. "I know it must seem really… strange. But yes, it's happened before. Twice. That's all! It's not like I go out of my way to be on fire…"

"So what is it?" Navi asked impatiently.

"I… may have a fire spirit living in me," Franz explained, looking embarrassed. "I can't say for sure. It's not like being possessed. It's more like a… non-sentient, non-sapient entity that gives me power when I'm on fire. Or maybe it's my soul. It's partly why I wear these earrings, just in case I happen to be near open flame and have an accident."

"All right, so if it's not like being possessed, then why the sudden rage and intent to cause bodily injury to your attackers, sir?" Jakob demanded.

"I'm still me, it's just… a different part of me."

"Well, you hide that part very well the rest of the time," Link said. "Do you know how this happened?"

"No, not at all… I also don't know if my brothers have similar issues. They might. They have similarly themed… phobias is not the right word. But it is close."

"I didn't notice you have a fire phobia," Link said.

"I wasn't on fire before. Imagine how much harder it is with a water spirit?"

"Oh, true," Navi said. "Or an air spirit. That would suck."

Link got up from the chair. "Well, Renado told me to make sure you rest. Jakob says you'll be fine tomorrow, but you don't look that great this exact moment. So I'll see you tomorrow. Also… thanks. You really softened them up a lot."

"You're welcome!"

.

Rana was expected back that evening, but she didn't come, and no one else came either. The Goron engineers examined the cannon and argued – rather loudly – over how it worked and how to put it together. The first thing they started doing was taking it even more apart and cleaning it. A lot of the parts look unexpectedly clean, though. They must have been protected inside the body of the thing.

The next day passed slowly in comparison. Link practiced his form, and some of the children, including Talo when he was not on duty, asked to learn a bit. So he showed them some of the footwork he had been learning, explaining that he had learned it was the proper foundation for all sword fighting, and they watched eagerly.

Shad and the Gorons got in a fight over something Link couldn't understand, something to do with the mechanism that activated the cannon.

The sky was turning pink when Rana was sighted coming in, and she was not alone. There were two people with her: Ashei, and a bizarre little man dressed as a clown in bright, garish colours and make-up. As soon as they arrived, the little man went off to join the Gorons and Shad around the cannon. He spoke slowly, and mumbled, but his words carried authority, so Link assumed he knew what he was doing.

Ashei found Link right away, Midna floating beside her. "I don't know what you did up on Snowpeak, but it suddenly calmed right down a few days ago. I didn't see the monster again, and there have been no more sudden storms…"

"The monster is actually a friendly Yeti," Link told her. "I met him and his wife. They're very nice. I'll take you to visit them someday."

Ashei blinked. "Weird. Oh, hey, there's Shad. I wondered what the bookworm was up to." She gave a brief, rare smile to Link. "I'll see you later." She wandered over to the cannon casually.

Link heard a familiar squeal he hadn't heard in a while, and turned to see Rana glomp Shoza. "Finboy! You're alive!"

"Haha, I am, kittengirl. 'Sup?"

"Well, stuff. Helping out. What have you been up to? You disappeared without trace or explanation!"

"Eheh. Sorry. I just… Ruto disappeared, and I wanted to find her. Darunia's been helping me. But then all this crap happened, and I got injured. I'm getting better, though, thanks to the kind folks here."

"Oh, that's good," Rana said. "Wow, it's Little Link. Hey, buddy! Everyone's really showing up here, aren't they?"

"They are," Link said, leaning against the porch railing at a slight distance. "This is quite the gathering. I've never seen so much support in one place for one cause before."

"It's a gathering of the best in Hyrule, excepting the other Sages and Auru and Telma," Rana said. "And Zelda. She would love to be here…"

"You look different," Navi said. "What happened?"

Rana hesitated, looked at the sky. "We made it to the Castle Town… found Auru… He directed me to this guy at Lake Hylia. I talked with Lanayru… Ashei came with us."

"I don't know what they talked about," Midna whispered in Link's ear, "but she's been perky as one of those Kokiri kids ever since, so don't ruin it."

He smiled and nodded. "That's good."

"Anything exciting happen while we were gone?" Midna demanded.

"We fought off an attack," Navi told her. "Lots of monsters. I think Zant wants to kill Link, or at least as much of the Resistance as he can. Oh, and also Link met his dad."

Midna frowned. "I thought you were an orphan. Raised by some talking tree."

"I am," Link clarified. "My dad… is a ghost. It was just for a minute during the battle, and it probably won't happen again anytime soon. But… I was able to meet him, and it's… a lot."

"What was he like?" Rana asked.

"A skilful fighter, and proud of my skill in fighting… cheerful, quiet, self-deprecating…"

"Sounds a lot like you," Midna teased. "You gonna meet your mom too?"

"I have no idea."

"Did you find out about her family at all?" she asked, pointing at Rana.

"No, I have no idea… I only came across my parents' grave by accident. The Hero from the past suggested it was my Triforce that led me there. So I don't know anything about…"

"That's fine," Rana said. "The Great Deku Tree was a great dad. I'd rather pretend I'm just a mutant Kokiri anyway."

Navi laughed. "You sure act like one!" Rana grinned.

"So what's for supper? We're starving!"

"Speak for yourself," Midna said. "Ashei's totally caught up in her crush, that weird guy is wrapped up in the cannon, and I…"

"You totally eat human food now that you live in the Light World, don't lie," Navi said.

Midna glared at her. "Right, but I still don't have to play by your rules. I'm not hungry. Yet."

"Come on," Link said. "Hungry or not, we can all have dinner."

.

The next few days were spent in preparation while the engineers worked on putting the cannon back together. It was entertaining to watch, and usually accompanied by a lot of frustrated yelling and banging. But slowly, it came together, and after two days it was standing on its two chicken-like legs.

On the third day, Link noticed Oocco had surreptitiously snuck into town and was living in the chicken coop next to Barnes' house. Barnes had been asked if he wanted to work on the cannon, but he refused, saying that small explosives were all that he was interested in. If Link understood Shad correctly, this cannon didn't even involve explosives.

But he asked Oocco if she would let Shad interview her, and for the next two days after that, the scholar left the engineers largely alone while he spent every possible waking moment in the chicken coop. Every evening he carried home a stack of notebooks two inches tall. Link wondered where he was getting them. It turned out that Oocco was from the Attic in the Sky, although she called it the Sky's Loft, and she was looking for the Sky Cannon to take her back, because she and her son had fallen down accidentally. She didn't know how to fix it, though, or how it worked.

Rana neither avoided him nor sought him out. She seemed to be cheerful again, though whether it was an act he couldn't tell, and Naeri wouldn't tell him. She spent a lot of time with Shoza, who was getting his strength back. She would come to watch Link do his exercises, though, and sometimes disappeared from town, only to come back drenched in sweat, so she was also working hard, if in secret.

There were no more major attacks on the town, but monsters were popping up more and more often, and closer to town, especially at night. It was a very good thing there was a plethora of warriors in town.

Finally, the cannon was finished, and stood, gleaming, beside Renado's house.

"So how does this work?" Link asked. "And please, give me the layman's version for idiots."

"That's redundant," Navi pointed out, and he shrugged.

"Well," began one of the Gorons, "it's activated by magic. We figured out that much. Not sure exactly what will activate it, but once it does… boom! You're going to be over the moon, possibly literally."

"But you have to get inside, first," said one of the other Gorons. "And it appears to be made for humans only."

"We haven't actually tested it…" said the strange man. "We can't test it. So hopefully it actually goes off correctly and doesn't just splat you inside."

Link laughed. "I'll risk it. I have some things I can try. And I need to get up there."

The first thing he tried was the Dominion Rod, but it didn't react. Shad made considering noises and scribbled in his notebook.

He tried Farore's Wind… he even tried Din's Fire and Light Arrows, which just bounced off.

He tried playing his Ocarina, the Ocarina of Time, which was magical. At a loss for ideas, he played Zelda's Lullaby… and something clicked. He played it again, and it clicked again.

"That's it!" Shad said. "You need to play a variation on that tune. Try… backwards, or upside down?"

Link blinked at him. "That's a bit random."

"Well, I think we're finally on the right track. Go on! Try some things!"

Oocco hopped up beside him. "I do think that sounds familiar. Goodness, I haven't seen one of these in years. But yes, do try it… upside down."

"I'll try. I'm not quite sure how to do that…" He raised the Ocarina to his lips again and after a few false starts, managed to produce what he thought were the correct notes. The cannon clicked again, but did nothing new.

Rana had been scribbling something down in a page from Shad's notebook, and handed it to him. "Here's the notes for it upside down, and backwards, and upside down and backwards, in case you need something to go on."

"Thanks, that's great." She held it for him to read as he played. He tried playing it backwards.

With a thunderous crash, the cannon went off beside them, and everyone ducked away from it. When it became evident that it was not going to explode, the Gorons cheered, a cheer that the others joined in.

"All right, let's load you up!" Darunia said, and picked him up with one hand, hoisting him up to the lip of the cannon so he could climb inside. Oocco followed him.

"Wait," Link said, sticking his head out. "What about… a parachute, or directions, or anything?"

"Pretty sure this thing is self-guiding," said the strange little man. "Pretty sure."

"And I've got you covered for a non-lethal landing," Midna said from where she was tucked in beside him.

"I guess no one else can come," Link said. "Well, take care of yourselves while I'm up in unknown lands."

"We will," Rusl said. "You take care of yourself, lad, and bring back that piece of Mirror safely."

He smiled and gave them a salute, then wriggled down into the cannon, his adrenaline rising as he set the Ocarina to his lips again.

When the last note played, he felt the cannon shift around him; it rose on its two legs, shook itself in a bird-like way, and adjusted its aim.

He braced himself.

He wasn't sure how it happened, but suddenly there was a crash and he was shooting through the air into the sky. He grabbed hold of Midna, who grabbed hold of him in return, and yelled in terror and excitement. She did too.

It was amazing to see Hyrule spread out below him; he could see everything. There was the forest, the lake, Death Mountain, the city… It looked so different, and his view was changing with every passing second. He was passing clouds, now, and… what was that ahead?

He was slowing, reaching the top of his arc, and he reached it just in time to plop into a small pool on the edge of the Attic in the Sky.

He surfaced a moment later, blowing out the water that had gotten in his mouth and shaking his wet hair out of his eyes. Midna hovered above him, looking smug for whatever reason. Probably because she hadn't had to use any of her power.

All around them were stately white marble buildings and grassy green walkways. It looked worthy of what a city built by an advanced race living in the sky might look like. The wind was brisk, but not terribly cold, which surprised him. He would have thought the air would be colder the higher you went, like going up a mountain.

Oocco landed next to him and paddled to the stairs leading to a walkway. "My gracious, it's good to be back, yes! Oh, there is a friend of mine." She began to gabble in the unintelligible Oocca tongue, and the rapidly approaching creature gabbled back at her. She turned to Link. "Oh my, it seems that we are under attack by a fearsome dragon! We have to get under cover, quickly!"

Link scrambled out of the water and followed the little Oocca down the walkway to a smaller white building. They could certainly run, despite their tiny size. He glanced up and behind them, in time to see a huge red and black winged dragon swooping down on them.

"In here!" Oocco cried, and turned abruptly into a doorway. He dodged inside after her, just in time to avoid a blast of white-hot fire from the dragon. The grass scorched away with a hiss, revealing the stone underneath, which charred black instantly.

Link slammed the heavy stone door shut and turned to the Oocca, panting. "So how long has that thing been here?"

They exchanged warbles, and then Oocco turned to Link. "Over a week. Would it be related to that mirror you're looking for, do you think?"

"Yes, I'm pretty sure it must be."

"This place is pretty peaceful normally, isn't it?" Midna asked. "Or at least you don't have dragons trying to eat you, right?"

"Oh, yes, normally it's the most pleasant land in existence! But now, it seems no one dares venture outside, and with good reason! Would you rid us of this monster? It seems that in centuries of peace, we have all forgotten how to fight."

"It would be a pleasure," Link told her. "Any directions for where to start?"

"You can take me with you," Oocco told him. "Just let me sit on your shoulder and I'll tell you where you are, and where you can go. This is one of our little shops, a… convenience store, if you like."

"Do you know where the dragon normally hangs out?" Navi asked. "Where he sleeps?"

A quick conversation, and Oocco said: "He seems to come from high up, from a high platform above the highest building. We normally use it for a farm, but he's taken it over. I can guide you there. Come along!"

She hopped to his shoulder and directed him to another door at the back of the shop.

Going cautiously, they managed to sneak to the largest building in the city, the Grand Hall. Inside, many Oocca were hiding, and when they caught sight of Link, they all converged on him, squawking. He backed away, rather intimidated by their non-human intensity.

Oocco twittered at them authoritatively, and they backed away from him, looking a little abashed, before she gave some kind of order that had them wandering away, back to where they had been before he came in. "My apologies, sir. They were very surprised to see a human here, and now of all times! I explained that you are the legendary Hero arrived again to rid us of this menace, and you don't speak Oocca. Very few Oocca speak Hyrulian, either!"

"I see. Thank you. You know about the Hero?"

"Why yes! The Hero was originally a Skyloftian! We know all about him, sir! I can tell you the stories, of course. But not now. Now, we must head over to that corridor."

It was a long and complicated climb for Link. Clearly the Oocca hadn't had to deal with humans in centuries, if ever, and it was not designed for someone of his build, even if the ceilings were far higher than necessary for an Oocca.

Eventually, he climbed up a gnarled green vine to the platform where Oocco said the dragon lived. It was very quiet, but the clouds were gathering and turning dark around them. The sun was also beginning to go down.

He turned in a slow circle, but he didn't see anything…

"Get down!" Navi screamed, and without looking or thinking he dove to the side and rolled, in time to avoid a swoop from the dragon. Fire scorched the spot where he had been standing, and heat washed over him…

Darkness and fire, the smell of horse and fear and forest and the sound of running and the sound of fire and the forest was on fire behind him and the woman who carried him. "Stay here and be silent," she whispered, as she laid him beneath a tree in the darkness, and ran. He watched helplessly as she left, and he heard screams, and all became quiet again. The sky slowly grew light, and the fire slowly grew faint, and he saw the curious, familiar faces of the Kokiri peering down at him…

He came to himself, his own person and age and time, in time to see the dragon shoot past him and begin to bank around to attack him again.

There were four slim towers on the corners of the field with gratings facing the centre. Link wondered what they were. They looked like industrial fans, and more importantly, like something his hookshots could grab.

"Oocco, get to cover!" The little bird woman left his shoulder and scuttled under one of the towers as he hoisted himself up into the sky on it. His plan was to reach the top and then fire arrows at the dragon until it fell to the field, where he could attack it with his sword.

His dual hookshots proved to provide him with unusual manoeuverability, taking him from one side of the field to the other in the blink of an eye, and frustrating the dragon when it tried to hover and breathe fire at him. He reached the top of a tower, and pulled out his bow, but now the dragon was swooping in circles around him, and he couldn't get a good shot…

"Hey!" Navi yelled, following the dragon. "Try hookshotting this!" She showed him that the dragon's tail had a hook in it, and it did look like something he could latch on to…

The dragon roared as it felt the weight on its tail. "Navi! Give me the Iron Boots, and maybe we'll anchor him to the field!" The extra weight was too much for it, and it sank rapidly, wings beating uselessly against the air. When his feet hit the field, it fluttered for a moment more, and then lost its balance and fell on its face. Link sprang on it, exchanging Iron Boots and hookshots for the Master Sword and his shield, and slashed at it. His sword cut through its outermost layer of armour, the black layer.

The dragon was only momentarily stunned, and he didn't hit anything vital, so in a moment it had torn away from him and was off into the sky. He watched it for a second. It was a monster, but it was also wild and free and beautiful, especially once it shed all that ugly black armour.

Then he was running for the towers again, before it could come around and toast him into ash.

On his next pass, he took off the rest of the dragon's armour, revealing an odd-looking scar in the middle of its back. That was a target if he ever saw one. He would try to latch directly onto that next time.

The only problem with that was the dragon was always trying to breath fire at him, which meant he never saw its back… But with some canny evasion, he managed to get into a position where he could grab it, a deadly dance through the sky. Now he wished he could fly like the Zoras could swim.

He caught onto its back, and clinging on with the hookshot in his right hand, drew the Master Sword with his left hand and stabbed as deeply as he could.

It screamed, bucking, and fell, clawing at the air with feet and wings. He stabbed again, looking for its spine, and it stopped screaming and fell limply.

They landed with a crash on the field, and Link fell off, slightly stunned. After a moment, he picked himself up, sweaty and bloodstained, and retrieved his sword. The dragon exploded into a shower of small metallic fragments.

The fragments coalesced into another piece of the Mirror, and Midna snatched it out of the air. "Perfect! Now all we need is to get to the Arbiter's Grounds as fast as possible, and we can take the fight back to Zant, finally!"

"Surely not after a rest," Link protested. He had used the hookshots more times that day than he had possibly ever, and his arms were aching.

Midna laughed. "No, I'm not going to insist on saving the world today. A tired Hero is one that makes mistakes and gets killed. Instead…" she hooked a tiny arm over his shoulder and leaned against him casually. "I'm going to tell you to hang out here for the night, if they'll have you, and learn all you can so you can tell Shad. I want to see that egghead pass out again from the tales you bring."

Link laughed.

Oocco approached them. "That was spectacular! Well done, boy! I'm not sure we can properly show our gratitude, but we can certainly try! Come down to the Great Hall and we shall have a feast, and give you what gifts we can."

"Thank you," Link said. "But you don't have to give me anything. I'll come for food, though."

"Ah," Oocco said, "but this one gift you must have, for it will get you home safely. Come down, come down." She hopped to the ledge and fluttered down. Link followed more slowly.


	18. Chapter 18: The Dark World

Chapter 18: The Dark World

.

Link trudged up the steps to the Arbiter's Grounds once again, Midna floating along just behind him. The Moblin camp was deserted still. In his pocket he carried a present from Nabooru, a mysteriously glowing pearl. "It might come in handy," she only said as she gave it to him. "Dug it up just for you. I know where you're going."

Inside the prison was no less quiet. The monsters all seemed to have gone. It was eerie, but he wasn't going to complain about an easy trip to the top. Unless the monsters were just all waiting at the top for him.

But they weren't, and he walked out between the arches into the open space behind the Mirror.

Midna called out the pieces of Mirror that she carried, and they swirled through the air, spinning and organizing themselves before fitting one by one into place with the piece already in the Mirror's frame. It fused together without a trace of a crack, and began to glow with a soft white light. Concentric circles shone out of it, projecting onto a black slab of stone. An unusual portal appeared in its face, formed of concentric rings rotating at different speeds in different directions. The Triforce appeared at the back of the smallest ring.

"Some call our world a realm of shadows… but that makes it sound unpleasant," Midna said softly as they stared together at the concentric rings. "Instead, it has a serene beauty much like the twilight here as the sun sets. In that light, all my people were pure and gentle… Until Zant found Ganondorf's evil power."

"It was our fault," came a ghostly murmur, and Midna's eyes widened and she turned to see the ghosts of the ancient Sages standing in a semicircle, watching them. "The fault of us who live in the Light of Hyrule… we only wished to see that evil gone forever, for the cycle to be broken. We speak for all of Hyrule when we say that we hope you can find it in your heart to forgive us… O Twilight Princess." And they bowed low before Midna.

Link turned to stare at her, although he had at least partly guessed before. Midna herself shrank back, her face twisted in bitter sadness. "So… you knew? Of course you did. You are spirits."

She gave a short, unhappy laugh. "As a ruler who fled her people, I'm hardly qualified to forgive you." She paused, her eyes unfocussed, remembering. "When he cursed me… I was so ashamed of my new form. I stumbled out of the palace by secret ways, heavy with despair, until I remembered there was one thing he hadn't taken from me, one thing that I carried always as Princess of the Twili, to guard and to never use: the Fused Shadow that my people retained from their ancient rebellion. It was then that my plan of revenge first began to take shape."

"Among my people, we believed that the Hero – should we ever see him – would take the form of a divine beast. So when I saw you first pulled into the Twilight, and that Triforce shining on your hand, and your subsequent transformation… I thought I could use you, Link. And I only cared about returning our world to normal… and I didn't care about what happened to the world of Light, not at all."

She turned pleadingly to Link. "But after seeing the selfless sacrifices that you and Zelda and the others have all gone to, to help not just yourselves but me as well, I know now that I must save this world too. There is no other way." Her gaze turned determined. "And Ganondorf isn't interested in the Twilight Realm anyway. His whole focus is here. If we can defeat Zant, the curse on me will be lifted, and then we can bring back Zelda. And then we can destroy Ganondorf, all three of us, together."

"We will," Link promised her. "I'll see your kingdom restored, too. Light and Twilight are two sides of the same coin, but we've forgotten the other side. That won't happen again."

She touched his face in gratitude. "Thank you, Link."

"What are we waiting for?" Navi butted in, a cheeky smile on her face. "We gotta go uproot a usurper!"

Link nodded and turned to the portal.

"Wait!" came a cry from behind him, and they turned to see Shoza, Darunia, Franz, and Jakob hurrying up the stairs towards them.

Shoza was in front, panting from the heat and the speed of their climb. Link frowned. The Zora was wearing armour, war armour that he had never seen a Zora wear before. "You gotta let me come with you, man."

"No," Midna said. "The Twilight warps people from the Light, even if they don't turn into ghosts. You wouldn't even be able to pass the portal."

"Ruto might be in there," Shoza insisted, taking another step forward. "Please. I have to."

"Shoza, you're crazy," Link said. "What are you doing here in the desert? You're going to die."

"I'm fine," the Zora snapped. "I am. I have to come. If there's even a chance… I've searched for portals to other worlds for three years, and now here is one. Maybe she's not there; maybe I die crossing over. It doesn't matter. It's a chance I have to take and you are not stopping me, dude. Not you, and not anyone."

Link sighed. "Shoza…"

"What about that thing Nabooru gave you?" Navi asked.

"Navi, you're not helping," Midna said.

Link pulled it out of his pocket. "The Moon Pearl?"

Shoza walked forward, surprisingly calmly. "Would that protect me in the other world?"

Midna sighed in exasperation. "Yes. And since Link has the Master Sword, he doesn't technically need it. And since Navi is bound to him, she's protected by it too. So yes, you can have the pearl, and yes, it will keep you in your natural form. But no one else can come! Got it?" She glared ferociously at the other three.

Franz put his hands up defensively. "We're just escorts, don't look at us."

"Thanks so much," Shoza said fervently. "I'll make it up to you, I swear, guys."

"Come along," Link said. "You can fight?"

"I can fight as well as any Zora," Shoza said, and finally cracked a grin. "You thought we just sat on our butts while Ganondorf tried to take over the world last time? Nah, we had our share of battles. It was just the cold that got us." He brandished his elbow fins. "These will take out most things. I can take care of myself."

"Right." Link turned to the portal and stepped in front of the Mirror. A set of stairs made of white light formed, taking him to a point directly in front of the mirror's beam. He felt a tug from in front, and was swept away forward…

The group re-coalesced in a group of dark trees. The sky was a pale golden colour, and the underside of the leaves shone in neon green.

It was weird and strange and beautiful and Link could finally appreciate what Midna said about her land.

"This is right where I expected we'd end up," Midna said. "This is the Han Woods. We're about a day's journey away from the Palace. But here, I can teleport at will, even without the Fused Shadows." She grinned devilishly. "So hold on to your hats! Or helmets, or wings, or whatever."

"I guess we can start at the Palace," Shoza said, but he looked a little disappointed that he couldn't search the whole world on foot.

Midna sighed. "If I get access to a certain place in the palace, I can check the whole kingdom for your girlfriend. Just relax, geez."

"Sorry," Shoza said meekly. "I guess saving the world really is more important." Navi laughed, but quietly.

Link wondered. Who in the world would he search for so desperately if they had died?

The answer surprised him. Yes, he would search thoroughly for any of his friends, but he had given up on Marin the instant the dream had dissolved around him, and he hadn't exactly hurried back to Hyrule once his dreams of his past adult life had begun to appear.

"Shoza," he said quietly, "you're a better man than I am." Then they rose skyward as tiny black squares.

.

They came back together again on a little rise overlooking a large obsidian complex marked with red runes.

Shoza was looking at him in confusion. "Why would you say something like that? You're the Hero!"

"Perhaps there are similarities. I fight for Hyrule, you fight for the person you love, and neither of us is going to give up or take 'no' for an answer. But… The women I've loved have died, and I've done nothing. I might search so desperately for Zelda, but that's more for Hyrule's sake. I… haven't done what you do."

Shoza shrugged uncomfortably. "Well… hey, man, things are different for anyone. I'm more concerned that Rana-girl's alive and you broke her heart, they tell me. I mean, you guys were tight as anything before you went to fight Ganondorf! And then you come back three years later and don't even give her the time of day, what gives, man?"

Link held up his hands. "It's not that simple…"

"Okay, I did hear some things about your depression and stuff. She wasn't talking to me about it. But still, it just seems weird. I don't get it."

"I don't get it either," Link confessed.

Midna was waiting at the edge of the cliff. "Are you two going to stand around yakking all day about girls? Come on, hurry up! We're almost at our goal!"

"All right, we're coming," Link said.

As he reached her, she reached out for his sleeve. "And… if I can make one more selfish request of you? Regardless of what my reasons were… I still abandoned this world. I left behind those who followed me and supported me as their ruler. Even now, they must hope for hope for this world. But… if they saw that the only hope was a hideous little imp… don't you think they'd feel let down?"

"Midna, you're not hideous," Link told her with a fond smile. "I always thought you were cute."

She blushed, perhaps? It was hard to tell with her skin colour. "I disagree. If you knew what I looked like before… So, I'm sorry… but can I keep hiding in your shadow?"

"Yes, go ahead," Link said. "I'm sorry you don't like your appearance… I honestly think you're cute."

"Oh, shut up," she said, and dove into the ground beneath his feet.

Shoza shrugged. "Girls, man. The nice ones don't believe they're pretty, the arrogant ones think they're pretty when they're not."

"Let's not get into a discussion on that," Link said. "I'm certainly not qualified to talk about it. I think most girls are pretty."

"He's pretty dense," Navi told Shoza. "I think it's a guy thing, if we're talking about gender stereotypes." Link snorted.

They made it to the bottom of the rise and headed for the main gate of the palace. Link saw movement on the right and drew his sword, which glowed golden in the Twilight. One of the disc-faced monsters was walking by, and didn't even seem to notice them.

"Wait!" Midna's voice echoed around them. "That person is not… an enemy. She's just transformed by Zant's curse. How could that rat do this to the ordinary people… He's stolen the Sols from the entrance to the Palace."

"Sols?" Navi asked.

"It's like… miniature suns. They give us life and energy. They are very powerful. I guess he's warped them to his purposes, hiding them away… I hope they're still inside the Palace; then we can fix this. Anyway, I can't take you in the secret passage – it only works going out."

"Got it," Link said. He saw another one, this one ten feet tall. It, too, ignored him.

"Link," she said. "We don't have to fix the whole Twilight Realm. I don't think. Zant is here, in the Palace, right now. I can feel it. All we have to do is get to him. Once we do that, I can fix everything at once."

"All right," Link said. "So it will be faster to confront him than to go around to every corner of the Twilight Realm as I've been doing in Hyrule?"

"Exactly. Now get going! And hide the light of that sword for now. He will have guards loyal to him in the Palace for sure."

"If they attack me, I'm attacking them back."

"Fair enough."

When they made it inside the palace walls, Midna pointed them to the central building in the complex, but the way was blocked by a black waterfall of fog. "Shadow crystals," she said. "Another invention of Zant's." So they went to the building on the left, the faint golden light in his Master Sword changed to blue. It was an odd change, but not one that seemed threatening. Perhaps it reacted to the ambient light. The light outside was more gold, the light inside was more blue.

They fought their way through rooms full of crystal fog that turned Link back into a wolf, past platforming puzzles and monsters and traps, and found themselves in a room with a shining sphere clutched in the grasp of a large disembodied hand that looked like a mechanical Floormaster. Shoza had turned out to be completely competent, although he often made noises of fear and flinched at some of the things he saw. But he was accurate and deadly with his fin boomerangs, and he seemed to have a preternatural sense for danger, and he kept up with Link.

As Link approached the sphere, Zant seemed to appear in front of him, though transparent and blue-tinted. He stabbed without hesitation, and the thing vanished.

"Wow, that was weak," Midna said. And then black crystal fog spilled out of it, and monsters spilled out of the fog. "Spoke too soon!"

Link was transformed into a wolf as the fog spilled over him, and only quick work saved Shoza from encountering a similar or worse fate. Still, now he could fight the monsters without worrying about accidentally transforming in the middle of his battle.

The monsters were strong, but the adventurers were stronger, and soon Link was back in his own form, picking up the Sol from the Floormaster. As they turned away, it twitched and came to life, and then followed a hectic chase back through the palace to the front plaza, the Floormaster following them through closed doors and floating through the air while they scrambled below on the ground, hindered by walls and pillars and other obstacles.

It stopped chasing them when they got to the front door, unwilling to go outside, and Shoza wiped a hand across his brow. Link found it odd that Zoras could sweat; their leathery hide and occasional patch of scales didn't seem conducive to sweating.

The creature nearest to the door, a ten-foot-tall behemoth with a disc-shaped face trailing tentacles, flashed blue in the light of the Sol, and diminished until it was only six and a half feet tall, much more slender, and much more obviously humanoid. Its head was rather small, blue skinned, with cheerfully glowing orange eyes.

In the plaza were two circular depressions, and it didn't take a puzzle-solving genius to figure out what went in them.

Then Midna directed them to the building on the other side of the Palace, where the exact same thing happened. When Shoza placed the second Sol in its depression, their blue light grew stronger, lighting up tracery in the floor of the plaza. All the citizens nearby were turned into normal Twili. Some of them waved at Link.

"They're not generally very talkative," Midna said. "In public, at least. Oh, your sword!"

The light from the Sols was drawn towards his sword, which turned from a dull golden glow to a brilliant golden sparkle, lighting up the whole plaza. Link raised it over his head.

"Even the guardian deities of this world are on our side!" Midna cried.

He turned towards the waterfall of fog. "Well, there's only one way left to go."

"Try attacking the fog," Navi said. "I bet you can blow it away with that light."

He did a spin attack next to the fog, and golden sparks shot everywhere, coupled with a magical energy he hadn't felt since he'd wielded Demon's Helix Blade. This was the true power of the Master Sword, ready to unleash on evil and wickedness. He hoped it would keep glowing in the Light world, too. That would be very impressive, especially at night.

They wandered through some passages and came out onto a balcony with a low railing, looking out across the fields of twilight.

"Here," Midna said quietly. "This is where he cursed me."

Link was distracted by the shuffle of hostile monsters and… something else? A sniffle, perhaps?

They were divebombed by a dozen large birds, all coming one after another. Shoza took out several before they got too close, and for the rest, Link was waiting in front of the Zora with his sword blazing. It chopped them clean in half with one blow.

He twirled the sword appreciatively when the birds were all dead. "Wow. I think I like this."

"The Master Sword always was your favourite," Navi teased him.

"L-link? N-n-navi?" came a weak, shuddering cry. Shoza tensed, uncertain which direction to run in, for the voice was Ruto's.

"Ruto?" he shouted back. "Ruto, where are you, babe?"

"S-since when have you been allowed to call me babe?" Ruto sniffed haughtily. "Link's my fiance. At least, he was, until he went and cheated on me with that Rana girl!"

"Hey, Rana's all right. Where are you? We've come to get you home!"

A small blob appeared on top of a nearby ledge, and seemed to pour down until it was huddled in a corner. Link and Shoza started, because the creature was not Ruto. It was some strange, twisted version of an octorok, with bulbous eyes and extended snout and waving tentacles. "H-h-help meee!"

"It's all right," Link said. "We'll get you back to Hyrule." He laid the blade of the sword on Ruto's head, and she transformed back into a Zora.

She frowned at him. "That's not going to work, stupid. The moment the blade stops touching me, I'll change back. Why is Shoza not changed?"

"Here," Shoza said, taking the Moon Pearl from his pocket and handing it to her. "This will keep you safe."

She took it, not without some hesitation. Their eyes locked, just as Shoza let go and collapsed into a squidgy little octorok himself.

Ruto laughed. "Come on, I'll take you home. Where is home, anyway?" She glared imperiously at Link. "Take us home, fairy boy!"

"You don't have to be so harsh on the Hero, lady!" Midna said, defending Link.

"He cheated on me with another woman, after we were engaged! The least he could do is apologize and take me home! That's what he ought to do! I don't want his undying love and affection anymore. He'll just throw mine away again!"

"Well, technically, I guess that's true," Navi said. "But really, you didn't give Link much of a choice in the matter. And him being a boy, he wasn't sure how to tell you about it gently. So it's as much your fault as his. Besides, you have Sh…" Link swatted at her to stop her talking. Shoza could confess for himself.

Ruto put her hands on her hips. "Fine. But I still want to go home."

"Oh, I'll take her," Midna sighed. "You two sit tight here, and don't get yourselves killed."

"Ruto," Link said. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry. I really didn't know what was going on, and by the time I figured it out, it was the wrong time to tell you, and I never got the chance to explain. If it makes you feel any better, I haven't had any luck with my other relationships, either."

"Well, good! You deserve it!" But maybe she thought she had gone a bit far with that last jibe. "Well, you mostly deserve it. But we'll talk later, in Hyrule, assuming you don't get yourself killed by this monstrously evil Zant creature. Or Ganondorf! I hate him! I hate Ganondorf so much!"

"Come along," Midna said, and made a portal.

Ruto still stalled. "I'm sorry. I'll see you later. Okay?"

He nodded. "Okay."

They turned into small black squares that rose into the sky.

"I think they'll be all right," Navi said. "Even if they come out in the desert. I bet Ruto has some Sage power that will help them get back to the rest of Hyrule. Did you see the way they looked at each other? I think she saw Shoza's feelings in his eyes. I think she'll be considering him!"

"That's good," Link said a little absentmindedly. "I hope she's not too hurt over her mother's death. But hopefully she'll be happy that her little brother is safe."

He turned to go onwards. They had to pass through the waterfall of black crystal fog again. "Shouldn't we wait for Midna?" Navi asked.

"I'm already back," Midna said from behind them. "Really, there was not much chance of you actually dying while I was gone. I saw them through the portal, and I'm sure they'll be warmly greeted on the other side. She's already cozying up to him, you know that? Although I don't think he's very pleased to be called 'cute little octoroky-baby'. Eww."

Link laughed. "I'm sure he'll get over it. I take it Ruto is like the rest of us: once she gives her loyalty, it's there to stay. But I'm glad he loves her, because I… was never really interested. Can we keep going?"

"You may go onwards," Midna said, teasing him with the tones of a princess.

They made it down a long corridor. "Midna, did this palace really have all these obstacles while you were ruler?"

"Nope. He's twisted it to defend himself. He knew someone would come eventually to challenge him. But I don't think he was expecting the Hero of Hyrule and his magic sword."

"Not many people seem to, actually." Link unlocked the huge door at the end of the long hall and it glowed blue with peculiar twisting designs before it opened.

Zant sat in a stone throne at the end of a long, shallow flight of stairs. Link walked unhurriedly towards him, power crackling along the length of his blade.

"Zant," Midna said, her voice low but clear in the cold silence of the hall.

Zant did not rise to meet them, the lower part of his helmet drawn up to reveal his oddly feminine mouth.

"We have to thank you for placing that curse on Link!" Midna sneered sardonically. "It's been very helpful!"

"You speak of magic?" Zant said at last, rising slowly from his throne. "Still your tongue a moment, whelp, while I tell you of magic and the oppression of ages…" Midna bristled at the 'whelp' comment. "The people of our tribe, who had mastered the arts of magic, its power and challenges, were locked away in this world like insects in a cage…" His helmet completely withdrew, revealing glowing orange eyes, short red hair under a leather cap, and a swirling tattoo down the bridge of his nose. Strangely, although Link could not read his inhuman eyes, they seemed to radiate confidence and arrogant power.

"In the shadows here, we regressed, until we knew neither anger – nor fear – nor the faintest bloom of desire…" He spread his hands to the ceiling, and then began to contort and twist around on the spot. Link wondered if it was a visual representation of Zant's frustration. "And it was all the fault of a do-nothing royal family that resigned itself to this miserable half-existence!"

He sprang upright and jumped up and down several times in a raging tantrum. When he stopped, he was breathing heavily. "I served and endured that decadent family for far too long, my impudent princess." Midna stared, eyes wide and mouth hanging open. Apparently she hadn't seen this side of Zant before. He rose into the air and launched himself at them. Link had a very vivid impression of malevolent orange eyes, as he raised the Master Sword to protect himself and Midna. But Zant disappeared before he touched them. "And why, you ask? Why did I endure such abuse? Because I was next in line to rule, and instead they banished me! Banished ME!" He spun around on the spot, howling, before coming to a halt, pointing accusingly at Midna. "They would not acknowledge me as their king, and as such, I was denied the magic powers befitting our ruler!" He turned away from them, spreading his arms to the ceiling again. "I turned to the heavens in my rage and despair… and it was then that I found a god!"

"Oh, no," Navi muttered.

"I'm with you on that one," Midna answered her.

"I had fled to the balcony to bemoan my fate. There He appeared to me! A great flaming sphere, like the Light world's sun, but greater and far more powerful! He swallowed me into himself, and within I beheld His face! 'I shall house my power in you', He said. 'If there is anything you desire, then I shall desire it too'. Then He disappeared from my sight, but I knew his power was in me. I felt it! And I knew that I should have to disappear into the exile my parents so _justly_ visited on me, and learn to use this power, and bide my time, until I should have an army worthy of conquering both this world and the other."

"My god had only one wish of His own," Zant said, and disappeared. Link hesitated, listening hard for him to reappear, and he did a moment later in front of the throne he had recently vacated. "That wish was to merge Light and Shadow… and create Darkness!"

He rose high in the air, spreading his arms. Red runes and sigils appeared behind him, spreading in a great magic circle. "And you are the last obstacle to our complete domination!"


	19. Chapter 19: Twilight Helm

Chapter 19: Twilight Helm

.

The magic circle behind Zant pulsed, and darkness fell around them and lifted to reveal… the cave where Link had fought the giant Diababa.

"Oh, that idiot," Midna said. "As if we can't remember how to defeat him in these places!"

"But we have more resources now," Navi said. "Need your bow?"

"Yes, please. Or… a hookshot, actually."

Zant, now wearing his helmet again, dodged the hookshot. He was very quick, perhaps as quick as Link. This would be a challenge. A good challenge.

He was not faster than arrows, but although they clearly hurt him, he just ripped them out and healed himself, while throwing balls of dark magic at Link. Link twirled his sword, anticipating another game of dark-magic-tennis, but the balls only bounced slowly off his shield, and dissipated when he struck them with his sword.

He caught Zant a particularly good shot in the eyepiece of his helmet, and his antagonist decided he'd had enough for now. The magic circle blossomed in the air behind him, and darkness fell and rose to reveal they were standing a foot above a circular disk in a volcanic cave.

Link fell and rolled as he hit the disc, and got unsteadily to his feet. The disc was floating, and wobbling like crazy. Zant jumped up and down on the edge, making it sway and tilt wildly, and Link almost fell on his face while trying to get over to him. He fired a blast of purple balls at Link, who knocked them away easily, and as Link got close to him, he teleported away. When Link tried to turn his own strategy back on him and began jumping up and down on the disc, Zant began to hover, immune.

Five minutes of them dodging each other, and Zant got bored; in this location, they were at a stalemate. He changed the arena again.

Link tried to breathe and choked. They were underwater. He tried to call out to Navi, but couldn't.

She immediately saw his problem and plastered his breathing mask to his face. "Oh, that jerk. Here, let me get the rest of you." She somehow swapped out his Kokiri tunic for his Zora tunic, and stuck his flippers on his feet, and he could breathe much better.

"Thanks," he said breathlessly, and darted upwards to avoid a blast of purple balls. There was a giant helmet in the shape of Zant's helmet, and inside Zant was casting at him.

"Let's try the hookshot again," he said. "I don't think I'll be able to get close to him, even if I swim very fast."

"Yeah, that helmet will just slam shut on you, or he'll teleport again," Navi agreed. "Go get 'im!"

He dove down to the bottom of the pool, where he could see Zant, and found that Zant had raised four identical helmets to face him. He spun in the water, trying to watch all of them. They all opened, and there was a Zant casting magic at him in each one. He dodged rapidly; there were a lot of shots to dodge.

"Here!" Midna cried. "This is the real one!" Link flung out his arm and fired the hookshot; it latched around Zant's robes and yanked him out of the safety of his helmet – and into a swing from the Master Sword.

"No fair!" Zant yelled, breaking free and healing himself.

"You shut up about fair!" Midna hissed.

"No! You cannot do this!" He changed the location again.

Now they were in Yeta's bedroom, and the floor was covered in slick ice. Now Link did fall on his face, his flippers hindering him from walking normally. "Navi, help!"

Zant trampled him, a twenty-foot tall Zant who felt like he weighed as much as all of Death Mountain, and Link grunted as he felt a rib or two break.

"Gotcha!" she cried, and he felt his encumbrances removed. Without even waiting for her to put his Kokiri tunic or hat back on, he crawled to his feet, biting his lips against the pain. He backed away cautiously as Zant came at him again. The other didn't seem interested in firing spells at him anymore, but only interested in squashing him like a bug.

Link timed it carefully, and stabbed Zant in the foot. Zant howled and began to hop on one foot about the room, shrinking until he was only four feet tall. Link chased him, but mini-Zant was even faster than regular Zant, and a lot squeakier. And he was hindered by his rib.

Just as he slipped and fell again, Zant came within his range, and he swung – perhaps an overly wide swing, but it was well aimed and would have taken off Zant's head if not for his helmet, which managed to block even the shining Master Sword.

Zant, shaken, retreated to floating in the air and changed the arena yet again.

"Aren't you tired of that?" Midna yelled. "We're just going to keep hurting you until you roll over and die! Stand and fight!"

"I will stand and fight… here!" Zant responded, as Hyrule Castle Town's square came into view, with its great fountain in the centre. The castle under its shield loomed in the background. There were no civilians around, for it was only a copy.

Link scrambled to his feet, took sword and shield in his hand, and set his face. "You're going down."

"No, foolish Hero," Zant said, drawing two razor sharp curved blades from his voluminous sleeves. "You are the one going down." And he sprang at Link with inhuman speed.

Link snarled as he brought up his shield to counter, and responded with a blow of his own. Zant hopped away and around in a circle to attack again, but Link stopped him with a kick to the chest. Zant dodged his follow-up swing, but now Link had the upper hand and was chasing him backwards. The other locked swords with him, but wasn't expecting Link's combination of a shield-bash and a tumble around him that ended in a twisting attack upwards. It sliced through layers of robes on his back, and Zant screamed and fell forwards.

The usurper caught himself and healed himself. "You are good, Hero! But you will not survive!" He slashed his twin swords on each other, as if he was whetting them, and then launched into a frantic spin attack. It bounced repeatedly off Link's shield, battering him back.

Link only held out his sword, and one of Zant's swords was torn from his hands and went flying into the fountain.

"Go get it," Link said, lowering his sword and breathing heavily.

Zant stared at him for a second, then leapt at him, sword raised high. "Curse you and your accursed 'mercy', Hero!"

Link blocked the sword without much trouble. "Zant. I'm better than you at this game. You can pull what tricks you want, I'm injured, but I'm at the top of my form and you are weakening. Making mistakes."

He glanced to the side. "Besides. It's not my mercy you should worry about. It's Midna's."

"He gets no mercy from me," Midna spat. "Finish him."

"No!" Zant screamed. "No, no no no no!" He began hurling attacks at Link, a blinding flurry of strikes that Link could barely block. He certainly wasn't getting an attack in edgewise while Zant kept this up.

Zant managed to hook his sword on the inside of Link's shield and ripped it from his arm. "What now, Hero? Now that you're as defended as I am?"

Link took the Master Sword in two hands. "Now I'm only more dangerous, aren't I?"

"We'll see about that!" Zant launched into yet another assault, aimed at Link's throat. Link skipped backwards, blocked a few attacks, stepped backwards again, threw a feint, and had to backflip away from another ridiculous spin attack.

The attack struck the Master Sword and this time sent him stumbling back, falling heavily to the ground on his back. He was getting tired, too, and sweat was pouring down his face and back, and his side hurt.

Zant loomed over him, as intimidating as a clown like Zant could be. "What now, Hero?"

Link gritted his teeth and slashed wildly at Zant's midsection.

With a poof, they appeared back in the Twilight Palace throne room.

Zant was hunched up on his throne, his helmet askew, his hands clutching the last wound Link had given him.

Midna rose in the air, and the pieces of Fused Shadow Zant had taken from her floated out from him to her, where they swirled around her. She plucked her helmet from the set and placed it on her head. "And now," she began, and stopped, staring at her hands.

She looked no different than she had before. Link pulled himself wearily to his feet, reading the crushed disappointment on her face. She had hoped her curse would end with Zant's defeat, of course, had wanted to come out and greet her people in her true form with the promise that he was gone and her rightful and just rule would resume… but with her fear of rejection in her current state, she would never do that.

Zant slowly laughed, a hollow, choking laugh. "You thought that just because you could defeat me, that your curse would end? Oh, no, my dear little princess… I cursed you with the power of my god, and he does things to last! Even now, he will save me, his faithful servant!" He craned his neck to the unseen heavens, his helmet crashing to the floor, and gave a wondering, keening sigh.

"You know why our people rejected you?" Midna said in a low voice. "It was your eyes, Zant. We all saw it, your lust for power, for domination, for control. For things that were not for us to desire! Your parents knew you were dangerous, and so they chose me, because I rule for our people, not over them!"

"Well, it doesn't matter, does it? They are dead, and I am King, and even if you kill me, my Master will always bring me back and kill you!"

Midna trembled in rage, before great tentacles of her hair shot out to Zant as she screamed, impaling him. He seemed to inflate for a moment before he burst in a shower of blood all over the throne.

"Eww!" Navi shrieked, and Link knew even he looked a bit disgusted.

Midna didn't even notice. She was staring at her hands again, this time in horrified astonishment. "I… I did _that_ with a fraction of my power… The power of the Fused Shadow…"

"You all right?" Link asked quietly, sheathing his sword and taking the Kokiri Tunic that Navi handed to him. He felt more comfortable in it.

She turned to him with a manic energy. "Link, we can save Zelda now! Let's go to Hyrule Castle!"

Link laughed, holding up his hands in protest. "Hang on. I'm injured and exhausted. Let's go back to Kakariko and get some rest, make a plan with the others. I can't do anything more tonight."

She hesitated for a moment, and then smiled. "Yes, that's a good idea. Come on! I'll get you out of here." She opened a portal and floated into it. "Come on, let's go! Let's go rest so we can save the world!"

Link smiled and followed her.

.

She took them to the portal back to the Mirror of Twilight, and once they were in the Light world, Link found a note from the others.

"Dear Link," it read in a curving script, most likely Franz's, "we have decided you wouldn't want us to wait, and Princess Ruto is taking us all back to Kakariko somehow. Lady Nabooru is joining us. We are glad to see the happy conclusion of Shoza's quest, and hope to see you soon."

"Well, that makes things easier for me!" Midna cried, and opened another portal.

They arrived just after sunset in Kakariko; the faint clouds in the sky were tinged pink and purple with the passing sun.

They were mobbed by rejoicing people; the warriors of the Resistance – and Shad – the children, the remaining civilians of Kakariko, and the complete Six Sages.

"Rauru!" Link shouted in astonishment. "Saria!" He picked up Saria and set her on his shoulders. "What are you doing here? I didn't expect to see you."

"We felt the Sages were gathering," Rauru explained. "You will need our power again to oppose Ganondorf and save Zelda. It was time for us to come. And of course I couldn't let my brother take all the credit." Auru punched his older brother in the arm, proving to Link that siblings didn't change, no matter how old they got.

Saria wrinkled her nose. "Link, you stink." He laughed long.

Ilia appeared in front of him. "We've been preparing a feast ever since Princess Ruto brought the others back, and it's just about ready, so…"

"Shouldn't I have a wash, first?"

She leaned forward, sniffed, and giggled. "Not if you don't want to."

"No, he needs a wash!" Saria argued. "He's gross. Is that blood?"

"Saria, I've been fighting Twilight monsters all day. Yes, it's blood. It's not chocolate sauce."

The Sage on his shoulders gagged. "Eww, put me down and go change."

He laughed, set her down, and went to do as she said. Renado helped him bind up his side, but the water from the Spirit's Spring began to heal it right away.

The festivities were joyful, and there was plenty of food and drink and laughter, but they didn't last long. Everyone knew the next day would be an action-filled day.

.

While the children were being put to bed, the Resistance and the Sages gathered in Renado's house to plot their course of action. They resolved to travel to Hyrule the next day, leaving their own version of a protective shield – courtesy of the Sages – to protect Kakariko, going in twos and threes to try to avoid Ganondorf's notice as much as possible, and pack into Telma's bar for the night. In the morning, Midna would take down the shield surrounding the castle, and then they would all storm it together in groups.

The four original members of the Resistance, Auru, Ashei, Shad, and Rusl were in one group, and the Six Sages were in another. Shoza would be going with the Resistance, as he would not be able to do the same things as the Sages. Impa was even going, although she was still cursed, the same as Midna. As for Link…

"Well, Navi and Midna will be with me," Link said. "That should be enough…"

"Don't be silly," Franz said. "Jakob and I are coming with you."

"No. I'm quickest on my own."

"No, you're not. How many times have we been able to help you get into places, watched your back for you?"

"But you…"

"There are plenty of people in the Resistance group, and… well, my loyalty is to you. I wish to follow you."

"And I'm following you too," Rana said. "I'm going to see this through." He look at her, and her eyes flashed in a defiant way he had rarely seen from her. Her inner strength was shining through her child-like veneer, almost blindingly. "You know you're not going to get me to not come with you, Link. Don't even try."

He hung his head. "All right. Rana can come."

"And we are too!" Franz insisted. "You can't make any argument that I can't counter."

Link sighed mightily. "It's not like I can actually stop you. But no one else, all right? We all have our separate assignments."

"Right," Auru said. "The Resistance takes the outer walls, the Sages take the inner walls, and the Hero takes the main building, because that's where Ganondorf is most likely to be, and we can't stand against him."

"Which means," Link said, turning back to Franz and Jakob and Rana, "that when I tell you to leave, you leave. You're not fighting Ganondorf. I'm the only one who _can_ fight him."

Rana's mouth pressed into a line. "Fine. But I'm not happy about that."

"Your complaint has been logged and will be ignored," Link said. "If, for whatever reason, I fail, you can have the Master Sword to try again."

"Don't even say that," Franz said. "You won't fail. Not with all our support."

He looked around at them all, and they all looked back at him, with the trust in their eyes of an army for its general. "Thanks, all of you. I won't fail."

.

Even though he was so tired after everything, he still couldn't sleep. After an hour of rolling in his bed, he decided to get up and walk a bit and see if that helped. Without waking Navi or Midna, who were sleeping like the dead, he crept downstairs in bare feet and out onto the porch. The stars shone brilliantly in the dry air over Kakariko, and the Mountain glowed in the distance.

"It's pretty, isn't it?" came Rana's voice from somewhere overhead, and he turned to see her sitting on the roof of the hotel. Naeri was not with her.

"Is this what you do instead of sleeping?" Link teased her, and began looking for a way up to join her. Around the side of the building was a stack of large boxes and a shed that he managed to use to haul himself up.

She was looking mildly affronted when he got up there. "I sleep, now." She was wearing an oversized shirt, her 'nightgown'. Her hair was down and her green eyes shone luminously in the light of the moon rising in the east beyond the mountains. "I just can't right this minute. Apparently you can't, either."

"And eat?" He poked gently at her midsection. "You're a fighter. You have a high metabolism. No one wants to see your body devour itself."

She smiled a little. "I'm eating."

"You're ready for the next couple days?"

She nodded firmly. "I'm ready. I will kick monster butt until my arm falls off."

"I hope that isn't necessary." His smiled faded. "I'm sorry for putting you through all that, Rana. It… really wasn't fair. I should have articulated things better."

She shook her head, looking out at the Spirit's Spring. "No, no… I don't blame you, not at all. Sometimes these things happen. I'm sorry for letting it ruin other things unrelated to us, and for waffling around like a terrible blob of a person. I know Shoza's been defensive of me. But you know he just cares about me as his friend, right?"

"I know. And he knows you better than he knows me." He was quiet a moment. "Rana… I don't know if we have a relationship in the future… but after Ganondorf is defeated… I want to be your friend again. If you can. I don't want to force you into anything uncomfortable…"

She looked a little disappointed at that, although he could barely tell in the moonlight. She didn't say anything, looking off into the distance. Perhaps she couldn't think of the right thing to say. Perhaps she was trying not to tell him how much she hated him…

They sat in silence for a long time, but although Link wasn't convinced that she didn't hate him, it felt… companionable. Comfortable. It was strange.

She took a deep breath at last. "Is… that… all you really want?" He turned to look at her, startled, and saw she was blushing all over her face.

"You… still love me," he said softly, disbelievingly.

"Always," she whispered, green eyes flickering to him and away again in complete adorable nervousness.

He scooted closer to her and put an arm around her, then felt how inadequate that gesture was and kissed her on the cheek.

She actually gasped and half pulled away, staring at him in shock. "Wait, wait, wait. Is… is _that_ what you really want? When you could have any woman in Hyrule…"

He laughed. "You're not just any woman in Hyrule, and you need to start realizing that too, kitten." He hugged her tightly, pulling her close against him. She smelled nice, and her body was warm and soft, and her heart was racing. "If… we both survive this… we'll be proper friends, for sure… and… we can try again to be something more. I can't make any promises. But you are a wonderful, loving, brave person, and that's exactly the kind of person I want at my side…"

She gave a tiny squeak, and he could tell she was smiling fit to burst, and a tear ran from her eye down her cheek. He kissed it away and failed to resist the temptation to nibble her ear. She squeaked again, and he grinned. She hesitated a bare second more, then whirled in his arms and flung herself at him, kissing him deeply.

He still didn't understand how she could love him, after only a distant childhood, a few days of meeting in adverse conditions, three years of waiting, and a painful separation… but she did love him, regardless. They had each traveled their own separate paths to find themselves again, and in finding themselves, finding each other only fell into place.

He did love her, her innocence and wonder and courage, her boundless love for Hyrule and everything in it, her laughing eyes and her laughing voice and her awkwardness and her proud strength and her grace, and her incomprehension of normal society, so similar to his own incomprehension.

He wondered what she loved about him.

Unbidden, she began to tell him. "Link, I don't love you because you're the Hero, or because you're ridiculously attractive. I know it seems like it, but it's not true. It's just easy to say. I love you because you're brave, and you've always been brave, Triforce or not, and you're strong, and you are smart – brilliant…"

"Although I'm also extremely dense, to hear Navi and Midna talk…"

"Well, in things that matter, like finding your way to where you want to be, finding your friends again, saving people, stopping the bad guys…"

He laughed. "You have a funny opinion of things that matter." He stretched out on the roof, and she snuggled in beside him just like she used to.

"My point is that you are smart and unstoppable and funny and tender and… just… breathtaking."

He pretended to preen. "Why, thank you." He stopped and looked down at her in confusion. "You really think all that?"

She snorted. "Link, I thought you had self-confidence now. You don't believe you are all those things?"

He lay back and looked at the stars. "I… guess. I don't think about it all that much."

She didn't say anything, just wrapped her arms around his arm. "Good night, Link."

"Good night."

"Love you."

"Love you too."

.

He woke when the sun rose, shining in his face with the brilliance of the most malevolent of spells, and he grumbled. Rana was still sleeping soundly beside him, not at all disturbed by his movement or noise. He paused to look down at her, brush some hair out of her face.

"This was a dumb idea," he said softly. "We should be in bed, getting actual rest." She didn't move.

He smiled, scooped her easily up in his arms, and looked for an easy way down off the roof that wouldn't wake her. There wasn't one, so he hopped off and landed as softly as he could.

She stirred. "Hmm?"

"Shh," he told her. "Go back to sleep. I'm just taking you to bed."

She giggled.

"Stop it," he said, blushing. "I didn't mean like that."

She giggled more. "I know." She stretched in his arms. "I can get up now, though."

"The sun just rose…"

"All the more reason to be ready before the others. I mean, really, how much more rest are you going to get?"

"I guess you're right. I'll just get lots of rest tonight. You know, it will be nice when this whole thing is over and we can sleep regular hours again."

"What's regular hours?" Rana said, sliding to the ground and smiling at him mischievously. "I never sleep regular hours even when it's peacetime. Just ask Zelda, she doesn't either. It's actually really difficult for her to be princess, because either she's staying up late to work on things, or she goes to bed when the sun goes down, and her internal clock can't figure out which one it likes better."

"I would have thought someone like Zelda would love routine and regimen."

"Oh, sure, she does, in every other part of her life. But…"

"Hey, there you are!" Navi called, fluttering out the window and down to them. "Where'd you go last night?"

"The roof," Link said, pointing up.

"It shows," Navi said. "Your hair is sticking _everywhere_."

Link looked at Rana. "Why didn't you tell me?"

She reached up and smoothed it down. "Because it looks cute."

He snorted a laugh. "You have odd taste."

"She's right," Midna said, hanging out the window. "But you better come in and get dressed before anyone else sees you and jumps to conclusions."

He blushed again. "Fair."

.

The collected Resistance set out in dribs and drabs after they had eaten breakfast. Link traveled with Rana and Franz and Jakob, riding Epona, enjoying the sunshine. If he died tomorrow, it was a good day to be alive today. Even the morbid thought of death didn't bother him much.

All traces of sadness had gone from Rana's eyes. She had changed over the last weeks, and that change wasn't going to go away in a hurry, but today she was bright and shining in her happiness, and Franz remarked on the change, and then proceeded to tease both of them mercilessly, with Midna and Navi helping him.

They arrived at Telma's bar in the late afternoon, to find Auru and Rusl had gotten there first. Ashei and Shad arrived shortly after them. The Sages all arrived at once, appearing from a water portal. Telma hadn't exactly been warned, but by the time Link had arrived, she was closing the bar as Auru informed her of the plan. She was greatly excited and was talking up a storm, commenting on every part of their plan with exclamations and motherly criticisms.

She somehow managed to get dinner for all of them, and they began setting up their bedrolls, although it was going to be a tight fit for all of them.

With his own bedroll set up, Link slipped outside, unnoticed by any except Navi, who came with him quietly. He again climbed on the roof to watch the sunset.

Paws tapped on the roof behind him. "Hello, Hero."

"Hello, Hero," Link answered. "Can I guess that your name is also Link?"

"It is," said the Hero, sitting down next to him in the form of a golden wolf.

Link watched the evening star twinkle. "Why do you take the form of a wolf?"

The wolf showed its teeth in a grin. "Because you take the form of a wolf, and I wanted to be something familiar to you… And also because I don't like being a bunny."

"A what?" Link turned to the other in surprise, and saw he had taken the form of an old man.

"When I was young, younger even than you were when you set out on your adventure, I was called to rescue the Princess. But while I was gathering the Pendants of Courage, Power, and Wisdom to unlock the Master Sword to fight Agahnim, she was kidnapped again and I arrived too late to prevent her from being sent to the Dark World." He glanced at Link. "I think you can draw the connections here."

"Many," Link answered. "The Dark World was the Twilight Realm. The Pendants of Courage, Power, and Wisdom… are those now the Kokiri Emerald, the Goron's Ruby, and the Zora's Sappire?"

"Very observant," said the Hero, de-aging in front of his eyes. He was already looking middle aged, rather than old, and gold was beginning to show through the grey in his hair. "But yes, I looked like a bunny when I first entered the Dark World, and it was a lot more threatening than it is today, believe me…" He smiled boyishly, his hair now all gold, his face that of a young man with strong blue eyes. "So I had to go through a whole rigamarole to find the Moon Pearl, because I needed to pass through the Dark World before I found the Master Sword… It was a pain, believe me!" His voice cracked, and a small boy was sitting beside him, grinning cheekily. He held up his left hand, and the Triforce glowed on it. "It was only this that saved me, that turned me into a bunny instead of some hideous monster like I saw there! I wouldn't have minded being a wolf, though."

Link smiled and held up his own, shining through his glove. "We're a lot alike."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure we all share the same soul, or something."

"All?"

The boy Hero snorted. "You think we're the only two Heroes in Hyrule's History? There are Heroes… well, not beyond count, but more than history remembers, for certain."

"I knew that…"

"The funny thing is, we all end up wearing green." The Hero poked his Kokiri Tunic, right in his healing rib, and he twitched.

"This is from living in the forest as a kid… I resized it as I grew up."

"Well, when I was a kid, this was what kids wore. The windsock hat was my grandma's idea, though. And one of our ancestors, that ensemble was the Knight's official outfit, none of that fancy ceremonial plate armour! But that was back even before Hyrule was a country."

"The Heroes predate Hyrule?"

"Yeah, more or less, and so does over-powering evil, and the Princess. The Triforce is older than Hyrule, duh. But that one particular Hero was right-handed, too. Kind of a fluke."

Link laughed.

"Anyway," the Hero chirped, sitting back. "I came to wish you luck for tomorrow. I know you've faced down world-shattering evil before, monsters bigger than should be physically possible to fight, blah blah blah, and so have I… but I just wanted to talk to you one more time before I left. To thank you for letting me pass on my training and skills."

"You're going?"

"I have my sleep to get back to. Gotta go tell your parents how well you're doing. Like you probably know, ghosts really aren't supposed to wander around indefinitely."

"That's too bad. It would be nice to have you around."

"That would defeat the purpose of death," the Hero said patiently, aging up again slowly.

"There's a purpose to death?"

"We fight with all our strength to stay alive, to protect others, to destroy evil, to make this world as good and just and peaceful as it is humanly possible to manage… And that is what we must do. We must never stop doing that. But yes, there is also a purpose to death. What that is… I can't tell you yet. You will find out for yourself one day." He glanced sideways at Link, in his late teens. "Just try not to find out tomorrow."

"I won't," Link said. "Thanks to you and the others, I am the strongest I've ever been."

"You do seemed to have settled your spirit."

Link blinked. He had forgotten about that. "I guess I did."

"It fits you. It's good for you. Try to hold on to that."

"I will. I will save Zelda and Hyrule, and prevent Ganondorf from coming back in my lifetime."

"That's all that can be asked of us," the Hero said, standing. Link stood, too, and they shared a hug. "I'm going to miss you, some-odd great-grandson."

Link laughed. "I think I'll miss you more, great-grandfather. And say hello to my parents for me, would you?"

"Will do. Fight strongly tomorrow." The Hero faded into the air with a whisper, blowing away towards the sunset.

.

The next day dawned grey and cloudy. Not the most promising of sights, but their plan was ready to go anyway.

In ones and twos, they filtered casually through town, grouping in their assigned groupings beneath pillared overhangs over the sidewalk. It was difficult for their eclectic groups to look inconspicuous, two groups covered in armour, the other group made up of representatives of every race in Hyrule. But there were fewer people out that morning, most choosing to avoid the dark, cold weather.

Link watched Midna, ignoring the others softly chatting behind him, as she skipped swiftly towards the gate that separated them from the shield. The Fused Shadows appeared and began to swirl around her, spinning faster and faster, until they slammed shut around her like a rocky shell with openings for her arms and legs.

She was still a moment, and then seemed to be yanked to the side. She cried out as she collided with a pillar, and then again as she was yanked across the roadway to slam into the top of the wall on the other side. Then she was tossed clean over the top of the wall to the right, out of Link's sight.

"Midna?" he cried, stepping out of cover, but before he could go anywhere, there was a burbling noise, and a giant, half-glowing green hand that was made out of some indescribable wobbling substance seized the edge of the wall. Link's mouth fell open as the top horns of the Fused Shadow came into view. Midna had transformed into some kind of seven-armed creature as tall as the watchtowers that framed the castle gate.

He heard the guards and the people in the square shriek and begin to run, dropping their spears and shields and goods with a clatter. Even his companions were struck dumb, frozen in their tracks.

With a low roar, the creature bounded high in the air. It bounced a little as it struck the shield, and scrabbled to find footing. Next to the size of the shield, its giant size looked tiny, as if an overgrown spider had fallen onto a pane of glass.

It raised two of its arms, wrapping them jointlessly around a white spear of light, and stabbed it into the shield.

There was a flash, bright as the sun, and a thunderous crash.

When Link could see again, there was the castle, with no shield around it, and a tiny figure, falling from a great height…


	20. Chapter 20: Storming the Castle

Author's note: Stole some dialogue from Wind Waker. It's good dialogue.

.

Chapter 20: Storming the Castle

.

He ran forward with a shout, his arms outstretched. Midna collapsed into them, and he rolled to soften the impact.

He came up on one knee, with her small form safely cradled in his arms. Her disproportionately large head lolled against his shoulder, the Fused Shadow bumping his face. It didn't seem to affect him.

Her large red eyes opened, and she smiled shyly up at him, reaching up to touch his face. A few raindrops splashed down on the cobblestones around them.

"You did it!" Navi said, hovering over his other shoulder. "The shield is down. Good job, Midna!"

She stirred, recovering her strength. "Thanks. That really took a lot out of me, though…"

He set her upright. "You just ride with me for a bit. We'll take care of things until you feel better."

She clambered onto his head. "Right. Onwards!" It began to rain in earnest.

The others were swiftly filing past them, stealing through the gate that was partially ajar. Auru gave Rauru a handshake. "See you later. Right! Group C, with me!" He led the way to the left, heading to a small door just inside the walls.

Link looked around at the front plaza of the castle. He had never seen it before, not even in the past incarnation of the castle. It was very impressive.

"Go, go, go!" Nabooru hissed, dodging past him. "Save the Princess now, gawk later!"

He came back to himself and followed her lead, sprinting for the main gate of the castle. She was more than right.

The Sages split off from their group, heading to the right, transforming as they went into coloured balls of light. Link and his little group continued straight ahead, down a coloured marble hall, into a huge ballroom lit with golden chandeliers. It was dead silent except for their footsteps.

"Eerie," Rana said. "There's usually tons of people in here."

"At least there are no monsters, not yet," Link said. "Let's find a way up. I bet he's at the top again."

"Then follow me, and I'll get you there!" Rana said.

It took them longer than she thought it would. The doors to the upper stairs were locked, and in the interest of time, Link actually tried to bash them down, but was unsuccessful.

And that was when they ran into their first Ironknuckle.

"Stay alert!" Link snapped. "These are very dangerous!"

"Sure," Rana said, "but you just have to know how to crack them… just… right." She flipped in the air, impossibly high, and came down on its head. Its helmet popped off. "And now for the back…"

Even as it turned to follow her quick movements, it presented its back to Link, who immediately saw what she was talking about. He cut the laces holding up the rest of its armour, and pieces fell everywhere with a clatter.

It flung its axe at him, and he ducked; the axe wedged in a pillar behind him. He heard Franz gulp, and gave him an encouraging grin.

The Ironknuckle was quicker now, and seemed capable of engaging all four of them in combat at once. But the Master Sword, though it no longer sparkled, still blazed in his hand, and cut through the rest of its light armour. It stumbled, and Jakob's lance finished it off.

He nodded at them. "Good work. Now, where are we going to find a key for this door?"

Rana shrugged. "This guy doesn't seem to have it. It's a fairly large key…"

They began to search, hunting wherever they could. They eventually ended up in the back garden, passing through a vaguely familiar hedge maze, and arriving at a vaguely familiar miniature courtyard.

The chief Moblin was waiting for them. He waved when he saw them. "I have come to play!" His boar grazed peacefully behind him.

"I'll play," Rana said.

The Moblin shook his head. "I want to play with him." And he pointed at Link.

Link shrugged, unsheathing his sword. "You're challenging me to single combat? Happy to oblige… Especially after all the trouble you've given us…"

The Moblin did not answer, and instead swung his giant axe horizontally at Link, who jumped back to dodge it. The Moblin seemed faster than before, although perhaps that was because he was not wearing the heavy armour he had been wearing when they first met.

He jumped over the next sweep of the axe and blurred past the Moblin, cutting a bloody line on his side. The Moblin grunted and swung the axe like a wall at him, knocking him to the ground. He flipped back up, and saw a disturbance.

Shad was running along the top of the wall, pursued by a Bokoblin, who was pursued by Ashei. "This… may have been… a mistaaake!" wailed the scholar, booking it to the nearest tower. There was a small explosion, and the Bokoblin was blown off the wall by a bomb from a small cannon that Auru carried on his shoulder.

"Got you covered," said the older man. "Come back and relax."

Both Link and the Moblin laughed, and Link turned back to his battle in some confusion. What was the Moblin laughing about? He stabbed forward, splintering bits of bone from one of the horns on the Moblin's helmet, and rolled in time to avoid the answering swing.

The Moblin was fast and strong, and he was beginning to wonder whether parrying would be less tiring than dodging.

He saw an opening, and smacked the Moblin in the face with his shield. The Moblin staggered back, dazed, and Link slashed him deeply. He pressed his advantage, a bit too far, as it turned out, because the Moblin shook his head and swung his axe too fast for him to dodge, sending him flying into the far wall.

"Wait," said the Moblin. He sniffed the air, looked around for a minute, and pulled a key from his pocket. Link slowly got up and came forward cautiously to receive it. But nothing funny happened, and he took the key and put it in his pocket.

The Moblin downed a red potion and wandered over to his boar. He mounted, and headed towards the exit. He paused and turned to Link. "I fight for the strongest. …It is all I have ever known."

And he spurred his boar and left, thundering to the second gate of the castle.

They all stared after him, but it was Midna who spoke. "…He talked. I didn't know he could do that."

"I think you may have just gained Zelda a powerful ally," Franz said. "If that beast fights for her as well as it did for Ganondorf, the lesser monsters will be cleared out in no time."

"Well," Link said, waving the key at them. "Is this the key you were talking about, Rana?"

"Looks like it!" she chirped. "Now we can get higher in the tower!"

They hurried back to the door that had been locked. The key fit, and they found themselves just above the arches that led to the outer walls. A ramp led up to another door, which led them to more halls. "Zelda certainly has enough space in these halls…"

"No kidding," Rana said. "But at least it helps everyone keep fit. At least, that's what Zelda says. I'm not sure if she really means it. But the throne room is at the very top of the tower, which is another three very tall stories, so we'd better keep hoofing it."

"My father's castle in Labrynna is more wide than tall," Franz said. "This place is very strange to me."

They hurried up, defending against attacks from Ironknuckles, finding their rhythm as a team together.

They came out on a wide balcony, high above the town. The gardens looked like they were full of toy trees. Link looked up and saw what looked like a small cathedral still rising above them. The clouds were low and blowing fast above the top of the tower, and black as pitch. At least it wasn't raining anymore.

"That's the throne room," Rana said. "So… I guess you're going to kill Ganondorf first, and then revive Zelda?"

"I don't know," Link said. "But this is where I must go alone."

"Link…"

"Rana, listen. I wasn't able to save so many people on this adventure alone. I don't want to lose anyone else. Especially not you, not after the things we said the last couple days. …Promise me you'll get to the ground safely. I don't want this place to collapse on your head again. Last time was enough."

She sniffed, and nodded. "I promise I'll get out of the castle alive. And I'll get the others out, too." She began to cry. "But promise me you'll do everything you can to come back, too!"

He reached out and took her in his arms. "That's easy. Hush. It's okay. I'll come back to you, I promise."

With an effort, she controlled her tears. She had her pride, too, and it served her well. But she still clung to him, this one last time.

Franz and Jakob were looking confused. "So we came all this way, and now you're going alone?"

"I'll explain on the way down," Rana said, not letting go yet.

"If that is your wish," Franz said, looking unhappy.

Link stroked her hair. "It's going to be fine. I've beat him before. I'm stronger than I was before; I have my sword; I have my courage. Nothing can stop me." He kissed her as extra reassurance, trying to memorize everything about her in ten seconds. Her shape pressed against him, her scent, her taste, the sound of her breath, her warmth, the feel of her lips pulling gently on his, all these things he tried to fold away in his memory. Just in case.

Reluctantly, she pulled away, and he let her go.

She grinned as widely as she could. "I'll see you later. Come on, guys, we've got to get the others."

"You're acting like the castle is going to collapse…" Franz protested as he followed her in bemusement.

Link turned to the double stairs leading further up, and took a step forward.

"Did you forget me?" Midna asked, sounding coy behind him.

"I can't tell you what to do," Link said. "I would rather you went with them. But you have even more at stake here than I do. The choice is yours. And Navi, of course, won't leave me."

"Never!"

Midna floated up beside him. "I'm staying. I have Zelda's spirit with me. I don't care how scary Ganondorf is, or what he does to us. I'm in this to the end." She glanced down at the town. "Not that the others aren't. But I want to protect them as much as you do. I'm glad you let me stay."

They ascended the stairs to the throne room together. Thunder rumbled, and lightening flashed.

"Could the atmosphere get any more cliché," Navi muttered, sticking close to Link's shoulder nervously. He raised a hand to comfort her, and then froze as he saw what was at the top of the dais ahead of them.

There was Zelda's throne, he was sure of it. Above her was a huge marble carving of the Triforce, with the three Goddesses flanking it on its three sides, but they had been vandalized, the heads torn off and thrown on the floor. In the triangular hole in the centre of the Triforce, Zelda's body hovered, softly illuminated.

Link gasped audibly and began to jog forward, but Midna stopped him with a hand. She had seen what he had not.

"Welcome to my castle," a deep, rich voice rolled through the hall, followed by a low laugh. Link had hoped never to hear that voice again. A dark figure was sitting in Zelda's throne, tall and broad and covered in even more ornate black armour than last time. His skin had darkened from a greenish brown to almost pure black, but his eyes were still the same malign brown. His hair was still scarlet, although it was pulled back in an elaborate set of rolls bound in gold.

The figure rose slowly and paced a few steps. "I've been waiting for you, Hero. I knew you would make it here eventually. Your ridiculous and annoying stubbornness means that you just don't know when to roll over and die."

"That time is when Hyrule is at peace," Link answered. "When you are gone."

"Hyrule could be at peace under my rule," Ganondorf rumbled. "Do you know why I conquered it?"

"I don't really care," Link said. "Your definition of 'peace' doesn't match anyone else's."

"You yourself know that the Gerudo live in an endless desert. When the sun rises into the sky, a burning wind punishes my lands, searing the world. And when the moon climbs into the dark of night, a frigid gale pierces our homes. No matter when it comes, the desert wind carries the same thing… Death. But the winds that blow across the green fields of Hyrule brought something other than suffering and ruin. I coveted that wind, I suppose. But what does that matter to you? To one raised in the soft, green, protected confines of the forest?" He made a dismissive, spiteful gesture with his hand.

"I wouldn't call it soft…" Navi muttered.

"That means nothing!" Link shouted at him. "Living with a wind full of Death does not mean you are allowed to bring Death to your neighbouring country! And you never truly wanted Life. You only wanted the Triforce."

"I do not need to explain myself to you, Hero! Your people would never accept the Gerudo! And I am no mere vassal, to bow to another king! I am King of the Gerudo… and deserve to be King of Hyrule! All who resist me will be destroyed."

"That's not how Hyrule works," Link said. "You don't want the love of your people."

"No. Only their respect and fear." He tapped the long, glowing white sword at his side.

"That is why Zelda will always be better than you."

"Her? She is a formidable woman. But she knows nothing of actually ruling a country. Hiding from me all those years will teach her nothing of that."

"But with the support of her people, she is better able to rule than your iron fist is."

"Of course you would disagree. You are a fool."

Midna had been watching the exchange with interest. "So you're Ganondorf? Oh, I've been dying to meet _you_ ," she snarled sarcastically, baring her fangs.

"Your people have long amused me, little Midna," Ganondorf answered, turning his attention to her with a step forward. "To defy the Goddesses with such petty magic, only to be cast aside… Yet the dregs of their anguish was my nourishment during my three-year exile. Their lasting hatred called to me. I drank of it and became strong once again." He paced again. "Your people had some skill, to be sure… but they lacked true power." He looked up at Zelda's limp body. "The kind of power those chosen by the Goddesses wield. He who wields such power would make a suitable king for the world, don't you think?" He raised his hand, and his Triforce glowed as he tightened his fist.

"Such conceit!" Midna spat. "But if you are what you claim… I will risk _everything_ to deny you!"

Ganondorf laughed deep in his throat. "Shadow has been moved by Light, it seems… Your love for the Hero will not save you. But you are as amusing as your people. Deny me, then! Yes, deny me, you and your little friend…" He looked up at Zelda, reaching a hand towards her, his form dissolving around the edges into small black squares that floated up towards her. Ganondorf had been learning a few tricks in the Twilight Realm, it seemed.

Midna saw his intent better than Link did, and zoomed forward, getting between Ganondorf and Zelda, spreading her arms to block him. Ganondorf did no more than smile, and then evaporated fully into black squares that shot straight through her into Zelda. Midna cried out in pain, but whatever she was doing had not worked.

She looked around desperately, as if hoping to find Ganondorf hiding in a corner somewhere, and then flew to Zelda's face. She raised a hand as if to attack, but could not, and drooped in defeat.

Zelda's eyes snapped open, and even from that great distance, Link could tell they were the wrong colour.

Midna went flying, crying out in pain and shock as she went, and slammed into the carpet hard near the entrance. She did not move.

Link turned to go to her, but a yellow barrier blocked his path. He touched it and jerked his fingers back, burned.

He heard a deep, mocking laugh from behind him, and turned to see Zelda, yellow-eyed and grey-skinned, walking briskly towards him. Her lips moved, but it was Ganondorf's voice coming from them. "It is not often one gets such sweet revenge as this. You defeated me once… but to take up arms against the King of Light and Shadow again is foolish beyond compare." Zelda's body drew a slim, straight sword and pointed it at him. "So I shall take great pleasure in slaying you with the hand of the one you are sworn to protect!" She floated up into the air, sword still pointed at him.

Link drew his own sword. "Ideas, Navi?"

"Watch him, and see what he does," Navi said. "We don't want Zelda to get hurt."

Zelda's body raised its sword, and the floor began to glow under Link. He jumped to the side, off the glowing part, before it erupted in crackling energy.

"All right, stay tight, stay calm!" Navi cried. "He's definitely not going to know how to fight with Zelda, he's going to make mistakes, we can do this."

Zelda dove at him, her sword the deadly tip of a dart that was her whole body, and he met it head-on with his shield. Perhaps he could tackle her, pin her down…

Zelda's sword bounced off his shield with a resounding thud, but then as he moved to grab her, she swung quickly, cutting through his thigh. He gasped in pain and limped to one side as she dove again.

"Need a red potion?" Navi asked.

"Not yet… Gaagh!" Link rolled to the side to avoid the 'glowing floor attack' again, and agony lanced up his leg and into his gut. "Actually, yes!" He swallowed a gulp and tossed the bottle back to Navi; she caught it in midair and put it away.

He twirled his sword, ready for Ganondorf's next move.

Evidently deciding that he wasn't going to injure Link any other way, Ganondorf lifted Zelda's sword high, and a ball of energy formed at the tip of it.

 _Oh, really?_ Link thought to himself, his nerves all firing with adrenaline and familiarity. _Of all the things you think will put me down, this is the one you try? The one I know so well?_

Zelda flung the ball of light at him, and Link bounced it back with the Master Sword. Their game of hot potato was faster than it had been years before, but he was quicker, his eye was steadier, and he certainly wasn't afraid of it. He was a little afraid of what it would do to Zelda, but it wouldn't kill her, not if it was the same spell it was before. With every swing, his breath came faster, his shield arm grew more tense.

Ganondorf slipped, just the tiniest fraction, and the spell shot past Zelda's sword to impact her in the chest. Her body spasmed, and Ganondorf's voice echoed through the chamber in a long, guttural, choking growl of pain, as she sank to the floor, incapacitated for the moment.

Something huge and blobby shot past Link, and he turned in time to see Midna's war form reaching past him with all seven arms. They wrapped around Zelda and squeezed, and black bits flew from the tangle like juice from an orange.

When Midna finally let go, diminishing back into herself, she had laid Zelda's body on her throne. Zelda's skin was her own colour again, pure and porcelain. She was more beautiful than he had ever seen her before. And she was safe.

Midna hovered next to him, leaning casually against his shoulder, and they shared a silent grin and nod. She had done it.

A ground-shaking rumble grabbed their attention, turning them away from the unconscious Princess and to where the black flecks were coalescing into a growing shadow. He thought he could make out a shape in it…

The shadow swelled, and swelled again, and gained solidity, and colour, and he was staring at huge beast, like a cross between a black boar and a red-maned lion, with great tusks, tiny eyes, and huge clawed paws, and a massive scar glowing white on its belly. It was like Gannon had returned, but smaller and more animalistic. It roared, and Link brought his shining blade forward. It jumped backwards and pawed the ground, ready to charge at him.

"Bow!" he snapped, and it appeared in his hand. Quick as thought, he drew it to his ear and released, and a Light Arrow zipped out at the beast's forehead just as it began to charge.

It struck slightly off centre, but still the beast tripped, shaking its head violently. He turned and ran to the side, and it shook off the arrow and followed him.

"I suggest you use the Wolf Stone," Midna said, hovering beside him.

"Do it."

With a hiss, he compacted in mid-stride to all fours, and began to run lightly to the other side of the room. They were going to have to stop its mad charge somehow…

"If you find a way to get a little bit ahead of him, I can grab him with my hair and flip him over," Midna called. "I need space to work in, though."

The tusks were frighteningly close behind him. He nipped behind a pillar and Gannon crashed right through it, sending stone chunks flying everywhere. One of them struck him on the flank and he hopped, and then Gannon's head knocked into him, sending him flying sideways. He rolled laterally as he hit the floor, tumbling over and over with Midna still clinging to his back. He hoped she wasn't too hurt. He was certainly going to show bruises later.

He picked himself up, wondering why he hadn't been trampled three times already, and found that Gannon had vanished. He trotted out to the centre of the room, all his senses taut. He could smell the monster… but where was it…?

"Here!" Navi cried, and he spun. A red swirl in the air turned purple to his left, and Gannon materialized out if it.

Midna grunted as her hair wrapped around the beast's tusks and heaved to the right. The monster seemed to have a high centre of gravity or something, and pawed useless at the air with its right paw before she managed to flip it over onto its side, where it lay, stunned for the moment.

It was too big for him to attack with claws and teeth. He looked to Navi, and turned back into a human. The Master Sword was in his hand before he knew it, and he leapt at the monster's face, where he had killed it before. Blood sprayed over him, like before, but Gannon was recovering, and shook his head, sending him flying into the corner again.

He guessed that was why he shouldn't try that without Zelda's help to hold the beast still.

He turned back into a wolf, and waited for the charge, but this time Gannon jumped over his head and disappeared before Midna could get a hold of his tusks. It was learning.

He tried hiding behind a pillar, but that was not so successful. Gannon charged through it, sending shattered stone at him, and he ducked. But still the monster teleported away before they could grab hold of it.

"We're going to need to try something else," Navi said. "He's gotten wise to this plan."

Link turned back into a human. "I bet I can take him myself."

"You crazy?" Navi demanded.

"He is," Midna said. "But maybe I can help him."

"What about your war form…?"

"It's recharging, sorry. A few more minutes…"

"In the meantime, I'm trying this."

"Or you'll get impaled on a tusk or trampled to death under those ten-ton hooves, and then who's going to clean up after it?"

"I'm going to try my bow again," Link said. "I shoot at him, Midna grabs him, and Navi helps me find a weak point."

"It's a plan," Navi said, handing him his bow.

He cautiously trotted out to the middle of the chamber, and saw several red proto-portals around the edges of the room. He turned, half in a crouch, an arrow ready on the string.

"Here!" screamed Navi. "Get him!"

Link whirled and fired, and the Light arrow hit the monster square between the eyes. Midna didn't even have to knock it over; it fell sideways at Link's feet, steamrollering into him. Or it would have if Midna hadn't dragged him backwards just in time. "Look out!"

Link dropped his bow, leaving Navi to pick it up, ran around to the huge white scar on the beast's side, and slashed at it. The thick hide resisted the sword, but the monster gave a shudder. He took a step back and stabbed with all his might.

Gannon screamed and, finding its back legs, reared high above them. With a final roar and flail, the monster collapsed to the floor and lay still. It began to burn in an otherworldly green flame.

Link climbed, panting, back to Zelda's dais and watched it burn. When it was gone, there would be nothing left of either Ganondorf or Gannon, nothing left they could use to cause mischief in this age. He poked his injuries and bruises. He would live.

Beside him, Midna began to glow with a beautiful white light. She looked down at herself in confusion, and then back at Zelda on her throne.

The white light drifted over to Zelda in a stream of sparkles, and they followed it, arriving just in front of her as the light faded and her light blue eyes slowly opened.

"Princess!" Midna exclaimed. "I…"

Zelda blinked a few times, and then came to focus on them. "You don't have to say anything, Midna. I know everything that happened. Such suffering you have endured…" Midna's lip wobbled, and she turned away.

Zelda turned her clear, if still slightly disoriented, gaze to Link, and nodded in greeting. He knew his mouth was hanging open, but he couldn't help it. He was just so glad to see her… herself again. "Link…"

A sudden explosion from behind them shook them, and Midna and Link whirled to see the fire had consumed Gannon's body and had grown into a huge ball of green flame. Ganondorf's laugh boomed out of it, and Link realized that he could recognize Ganondorf's face in the fire. No wonder Zant had thought he was dealing with a god. He had long known that Ganondorf was no longer exactly mortal, but he had never imagined this.

Link put out an arm to protect Zelda, but beside him, Midna straightened with a little grunt, and the pieces of the Fused Shadow appeared swirling around her. He turned to her in astonishment, and saw inexorable purpose in her gaze that was fixed, unwavering, on Ganondorf before them.

She was going to fight him with all of her power, although she could not win; she would give even her life for them… for a world not her own, all for the people she had come to call friends…

"Midna… no! Don't! You can't fight him, not even like tha-" He reached out to her, crying out desperately, but before he could reach her, stop her from doing this crazy thing, he felt the tug of a portal on his head, and both he and Zelda were drawn up in little black squares.

The last thing he saw was Midna's grimly satisfied gaze.


	21. Chapter 21: Triforce of Power

Chapter 21: Triforce of Power

.

They touched down somewhere in Hyrule Field, possibly to the east of the castle, and looked around wildly.

"She's not really going to…" Zelda began.

"Oh, yes, she is," Link answered grimly. "We don't have any way to get back in there, do we…?"

Even as he finished his sentence, the ground rumbled. Although the sun was beginning to peer through the clouds near the horizon, lightening struck the castle.

The entire castle exploded, obscured in a colossal cloud of stone and dirt. Navi gasped.

Link stared, and he knew Zelda shared his stricken look. He really hoped the others had gotten out in time. But Midna…

Something was trickling down from the sky, something black, which resolved into a dark figure on horseback. A crimson cloak was blowing in the wind, and Ganondorf raised one hand high.

Link choked. In Ganondorf's grasp was Midna's empty helmet. Ganondorf clenched his fist, and the helmet crumbled and fell to the ground, broken, useless, meaningless.

Ganondorf drew his glowing white sword, spurred his prancing black horse, and charged them full on. Ghostly figures joined him.

Link gritted his teeth and flung his shield in front of both of them. It wasn't much against the charge of a warhorse, but at least it would buy Zelda some time…

Zelda stopped him with a hand on his arm, and as he looked at her, confused, she nodded calmly, bowed her head and clasped her hands. "Spirits of the Light!" she prayed. "Wielders of the power that shines far and wide on the lands of this world…"

Ganondorf was almost on them, bare feet away and closing. Navi was making little screaming noises somewhere above his head, trying not to distract him but still terrified out of her wits. Link tensed his whole body in anticipation of the collision, clenching his teeth until they felt like they were sealed together. The thunder of the charge was shaking the ground like an earthquake. But he stood firm.

"In my hour of need, grant me the light to banish evil!"

Ganondorf's giant horse was inches from them when the world flashed white around them, and they winked out of existence.

He was standing ankle deep in pale golden water under a black, blank sky, in some new spirit world. Briefly, he caught glimpses of the four Light Spirits, but mostly he saw their spheres of Light, swirling around Zelda. She stretched out her hands gently, and received a great golden bow and a quiver full of golden arrows.

He finally allowed himself to relax a bit as Zelda turned to him, her blue eyes apologetic. "Link…"

He gave her his best determined smile, and bowed to her. "I'm here."

She raised him and smiled back, slipping into high formality. "Chosen Hero! Lend us your strength one last time!" And she bowed her beautiful head to _him_.

"Zelda…" He stepped towards her and held out his hand. "Don't bow to me. I may be the Hero, but you are the Princess, and together Wisdom and Courage will stand against Power."

She smiled and took his hand. "Link… thank you for seeing this through. You are truly the saviour of us all."

"I couldn't do otherwise. This is where I belong. This is what I need to do. I'm only sorry it took me so long to get back to doing it."

"Don't be sorry. You are here now, and that is all that matters." She squeezed his hand. "Now let's kick his butt."

He grinned, took his hand back, and reached for his sword. "Ready when you are."

The spirit world winked out of sight, leaving them back on Hyrule Field where they started.

"Link!" Navi screamed, hyperventilating. "You… you… don't do that again!"

"Sorry, Navi."

"We need Epona to fight him on his own level," Zelda said, buckling on the quiver. They could see Ganondorf circling around far ahead of them. "One moment." She clapped her hands, and with a flash, Epona stood before them, already saddled and looking extremely confused.

Link vaulted up to her back and gave Zelda a hand up behind him. "So, you shoot him, and I get in close and slash him?"

"That's the plan. And try not to get slashed in return, of course. Just keep him in range!"

"Come on, girl, fly for me!" Link called in a low voice to his horse, and she sprang away, faster than any other horse in Hyrule. His heart was beating hard. This was going to be interesting.

As Ganondorf crossed their path, he raised his arm, and a squadron of ghostly horsemen appeared from the right, charging on an intercept path. Link glanced at them, observing their direction and speed carefully. They seemed to be going in straight lines… if he just steered Epona correctly…

He slotted in between two of the ghosts, Epona's tail just brushing the one behind them. Zelda was clinging to him with both arms, her bow bouncing on her back. "Just a little closer!" she called in his ear, and he nodded.

Slowly, Ganondorf was falling back to them. He juked left, across their path, and before he could get far, Zelda sat up, clinging to Epona with only her knees, and pulled the great golden bow from her back.

There was a deep 'twang', and a small bolt of light arced out at Ganondorf, followed by two more. The first one missed, the second one just grazed his cloak, and the third struck him square in the back. They heard him groan. Then he kicked his horse savagely and galloped away from them again.

Link followed as best he could. "Zelda, why don't you ride Epona and I'll catch up later? She'd go faster…"

"No, I need you here so he doesn't think he can just attack me with his sword. And besides, you're a better horseman than I am."

The ghosts appeared, ahead of them this time, and Link broke hard left. Zelda hung on with her left arm, her bow in a vice grip in her right hand.

Ganondorf appeared on their tail, and Zelda twisted to aim at him. He dodged her shots, his white sword ready to swing at them.

"Link…!" Zelda cried breathlessly, and he drew the Master Sword and veered right, in time to block a swing from Ganondorf. Zelda ducked, clinging to his back low and out of the way.

Ganondorf bore down on him. He wasn't getting enough leverage in this position, and broke right. Ganondorf followed them, laughing at them.

Epona turned an impossibly tight circle, and Link came up beside Ganondorf again, swinging the Master Sword down on him. Ganondorf deflected. They sparred for a few moments, galloping parallel to each other across the gently sloping plain.

"Look out!" Navi screamed, and Link looked up in time to see the ghostly horsemen charging them from the front again. He dodged… left, even closer to Ganondorf. So close that the white sword was too close to easily hit them.

Zelda grabbed an arrow from her quiver and tried to stab Ganondorf with it, but he grabbed her arm.

"Zelda!" Link, past the ghosts, reached out and caught Zelda's arm too, preventing Ganondorf from dragging her off the horse. They were so close… he could hear Ganondorf's breathing, hear his throaty chuckle at their struggles. He could feel Zelda's tension, near panic.

He let go of Epona's reins and went for the Master Sword, right-handed, and swung it at Ganondorf's face. Ganondorf let go and moved away, leering at them.

"You okay?" Navi asked Zelda, and she nodded, rubbing her wrist.

"Just keep him in range," she repeated, and set another arrow to her bow.

Link obediently followed Ganondorf, catching sight as he did so of a small group of people – some of them shining in various colours – approaching. Drat. The Resistance had come to help. But they couldn't help. "Zelda! We have to finish him quickly, before the others get here!"

The great bow twanged, and Ganondorf jerked. Link slowed Epona to a walk, and they watched as Ganondorf tipped over, both him and his horse skidding on the rocky ground. A cloud of dust obscured their view.

"He's probably not dead," Link said. "Wait here. I'll go finish him." He dismounted and trotted towards the cloud of dust, Master Sword and shield in hand.

"Link… wait!" Zelda cried, too late. A yellow-orange shield flickered into existence around Link and the dust cloud. Epona neighed as she reared back, though Zelda kept her seat.

"Zelda, don't touch that!" Navi said. "It'll hurt you!"

Link stopped and stood, waiting. The dust blew away, and Ganondorf stood there, not looking significantly worse for wear, although his magnificent cloak was tattered now. The black horse lay still, unconscious or dead. The setting sun streamed out from under the clouds, lighting everything with a strange red glow.

"You wield an impressive-looking blade… but nothing more," Ganondorf told him, drawing his white sword. "While I can kill you with any sword… But I will kill you with this sword, the sword those pathetic Sages tried to execute me with, that I have turned to my will, and my will alone!"

"It's true I don't have as much to call on as you do," Link said. Navi circled around his head and came to rest on his shoulder. "Midna's Fused Shadow had more power in its little finger than I have in my whole body. But you forget that I cannot rest until you are defeated, and I will not rest until you are defeated, because of this." He raised his left fist, and the Triforce on it blazed out.

Ganondorf was unimpressed. "Do you forget, boy, that I have my own blessed power? You were only given that through a twist of fate. Through my actions!"

"I understand well enough what happened ten years ago," Link said. "We tried to stop you by gaining the Master Sword, but you used the same door to touch the Triforce. The Goddesses deemed you were an unworthy holder of the complete Triforce, and so you were left with only the Triforce of Power, while Zelda and I were given Wisdom and Courage _so we could stop you_."

"You have a lot of confidence in the most useless aspect of the Triforce, boy. Enough words! I will kill you now and end this farce!"

"Bring it," Link shouted defiantly, setting himself in a ready crouch. The Master Sword flickered at his cry.

Ganondorf charged him, surprisingly quick, and Link backflipped and darted to the side. He lunged in, and Ganondorf blocked and counter-attacked. He was very big – about eight feet tall, and all bulked out – and very strong. For a few minutes all that could be heard from them was shouts and grunts of exertion.

Link couldn't stop staring at the glowing white scar that marred Ganondorf's abdomen and armour. For one thing, it was at about eye-level for him. For another thing, that was what he had attacked to defeat the Gannon form. Perhaps Ganondorf would be as weak to it.

But Ganondorf wasn't letting down his defences any time soon. Link thanked the Hero from the past over and over in his head, because this was the battle of his life. Every reflex, every drop of skill he had ever used was being called into play here.

Even so, he was smaller than Ganondorf, and couldn't help constantly being driven back, being forced to run around in circles around the taller man. The white sword and the Master Sword clashed again and again, and neither could find an opening in each other's defences.

He heard a growing crowd assembling, and the next time he pivoted around Ganondorf, saw that behind him the Resistance had arrived, crowding around Zelda to watch. There wasn't much else they could do – the shield arched over the duellists like a cage, and not even the spells of the Sages could break through. Link was physically completely on his own. But the support of his friends cheered him.

Ganondorf landed a lucky punch in his face, and he tumbled to the ground and got up again, his nose bleeding. He was getting tired, and it was harder to dance around, to roll and leap, the way he needed to.

They locked swords, and Ganondorf leaned in with all his weight. Link gritted his teeth, dug in his feet, and pushed back. It was like fighting with the Gorons again.

Millimetre by millimetre, the white sword shuddered back. The two swords grated on each other with a horrible noise.

Ganondorf suddenly broke the lock, just when Link thought he might be getting to tipping the balance in his favour, and slashed, sending him reeling back.

The white sword bashed the Master Sword one way, his shield another, and before he could recover, stabbed clear through his chainmail and into his gut.

He let out a whimper and fell to the ground on his back, the white sword releasing a spray of his blood as it withdrew from his body.

Dimly, he could hear screaming. He looked over idly and saw Rana clawing at the shield; her arms were beginning to blister, and Shoza was trying to drag her away. But her screams were for him, not for herself. Saria peered, horrified, from behind Rana's leg. The rest of the crowd was a blurry mass of agitated movement.

Ganondorf was looming over him, but he couldn't hear the words, only a deep rumble. It hurt too much. He had failed. It was up to Zelda and Rana now… Ganondorf would let down the shield, and everyone would swarm him… and die… But if they could just get rid of Ganondorf…

No, he had to do it. He couldn't let Ganondorf kill anyone else! His hand tightened around the Master Sword, and he saw Ganondorf's eyes widen in scornful disbelief. The white sword raised high.

"What are you doing?" growled another deep voice, and a white and blue and lavender blur appeared in front of him, and was impaled by the white sword. "Get in there, fairies." Then followed a string of pained curses and swears in a language Link didn't understand.

"Right!" squeaked a vaguely familiar little voice, and three fairies that were not Navi appeared over him; one yellow, one purple, and one a healing pink. The pink one slammed into his chest, and he felt the massive wound in his stomach closing. That was going to leave a big scar.

Demon was leaning casually on Ganondorf's sword, grinning dementedly around the pain he was surely feeling. "Sorry, youngling, you can't kill this boy yet. I still need him."

"What are you?" Ganondorf hissed, ripping the sword out sideways through Demon's rib cage. The spirit didn't even falter, though his massive Helix Blade still hung on his back and not in his hand.

"I am ancient power. I am survival. I am tenacity almost the equal of the Triforce of Courage, joy in destruction, delight in strength. I was there when they made the Fused Shadow. And I escaped from the wrath of the Goddesses, from the vengeance of the Sages. This boy conquered me with his strong heart, and so he has my allegiance."

Link stumbled to his feet. "Demon!"

"It's up to you, now, child," Demon told him, and quivered and shrank into a mask. Ganondorf made to step on it, and Link shoved him backwards before he could.

"You don't hurt my friends and allies," he said, cold blue eyes locked with Ganondorf's.

Ganondorf took another step back and regarded them. "What is the meaning of this!?"

"I'll tell you what this means," Franz said unexpectedly from beyond the shield. "It means evil will never triumph. Not all of us can be as brave as Link, but all of us, everyone in Hyrule and in all the lands in all the worlds, we oppose you. You can gather what minions you will, perhaps you will even have the upper hand for a while, but while you are around, we unite to face you. We can be defeated, but we can never be broken."

"And I can be defeated, but my master and I can never be stopped," Ganondorf snarled. "This cycle will continue no longer, for I will not be defeated this time!" He flung out a hand and Link, tired and caught by surprise, went flying back into the shield. His scabbard saved him from burning against it, but he stumbled and fell to his knees.

And he got up again, still glaring at Ganondorf. He would always get back up. He wasn't as strong as Ganondorf, but he wasn't afraid to keep going, to take more punishment, as long as his opponent was still standing.

Their blades locked again, and Ganondorf felt as heavy as Death Mountain itself. But still he pushed back, and slowly, achingly slowly, he was gaining the upper hand. And as he did, he felt a new rush of hope, of energy, of strength, and sent Ganondorf stumbling backwards with a sweep of the Master Sword. Ganondorf flailed, his defenses wide open.

Link went for it. One, two, three slashes on the glowing white scar, and Ganondorf howled and fell to his knees, and then to his back.

Link backed up a pace, got a running start, and leaped on him, finishing him with a downward stab.

He rolled off, his last strength spent, the Master Sword still embedded to the hilt in Ganondorf's body.

He heard a strange, crescendoing, gargling noise beside him, and realized that Ganondorf was screaming his death scream.

Or was it?

The shield fell, but smartly, none of the crowd rushed straight to him. He rolled over and unsteadily climbed to his feet.

So did Ganondorf. The evil one's fist clenched-

And the Triforce of Power faded from the back of his hand.

It began to rain gently.

.

"The cycle will continue," Zelda said softly. "But for now, we have won."

Link looked around. Ganondorf was dead, but his body was still standing, Behind Link, all those who had fought with him and for him had gathered a bit closer, Zelda in front of him.

He reached out, gripped the hilt of the Master Sword, and pulled it from Ganondorf's body, kicked it over as he did. He wiped it and sheathed it, and turned to the others.

Rana was the first to move, sprinting to him and throwing herself into his arms. He had just enough presence of mind to brace for her impact. "You did it!" she said. Someone had healed her arms, although they were still discoloured where she had been burned.

"I did it," he answered softly, and kissed her hard. She kissed him back, a tiny pained noise in the back of her throat that told him just how much she felt for him.

And she released him and drew him into the crowd, where everyone wanted to hug him, to pat him on the back, to congratulate him.

Someone cleared their throat, and there was Impa, unfolding to her full height. "Well, now I can fight, after the need for fighting has passed. You have no idea how frustrating that is!"

Zelda laughed and hugged her stern bodyguard. "Impa! I'm so glad you're all right."

"I am sorry, Princess. I was caught before I could return to your side."

"Don't blame yourself, Impa. Zant and Ganondorf together had too much power."

"Speaking of power…" Link knelt and picked up Demon's mask. "Does anyone have a spare fairy?"

"Who _is_ that?" Rauru demanded. "He does not sound like a good character. He is a friend of yours?"

Link smiled. "He's… interesting. He's better than he appears. Tatl, Tael, how did he behave on your travels?"

"He was actually pretty nice," Tael said matter-of-factly. "He just watched people for like three years, and then, uh, something almost happened to us, and he started actually being nice to people! He's still a total grump, and he talks mean, but he's… changed."

"I am going to murder you slowly, fairy," Demon's voice drifted from the mask. "I am not _nice_."

Link laughed. "Good to know, after you saved my life, and possibly all of Hyrule."

"He was a jumpstart little twerp. He doesn't deserve to win."

"In the meantime, we'll get you fixed up as soon as we get back to base."

"Link…" Saria said, pulling the hem of his bloody tunic. "Look."

He turned, and at the top of the nearby hill, backlit in the remaining light from the sun that had just set, there were the four Light Spirits… and a small lump.

Was it a trick of his eyes, or did the lump have… horns…?

He turned away from the others, passing Demon to Rana, and began to jog up the hill, then run faster than he had known he was capable of doing in his level of exhaustion. He came to a stop, panting hard.

It wasn't Midna. It was a lump, draped in a black cloak…

Which stood, and turned, and he was looking into familiar red eyes in a pale, blue-white-skinned face, framed with orange hair.

But she was seven feet tall, and breathtakingly beautiful.

She smiled, and his mouth fell open.

"What?" she said, and her voice was the same, gently teasing him. "Say something!" Her smile grew. "Or am I so beautiful you've no words left?"

"Now I know why you were so disappointed you didn't get your own body back…" Navi said.

Link fell forward and hugged her. "You're alive."

She hugged him back, tightly. "Not something I was expecting." He wasn't even angry, anymore, that she had sacrificed herself for them. "Link, you're getting blood all over my clothes."

He backed away, embarrassed. "I think I got blood on everyone's clothes."

She laughed. "I was teasing. I don't actually mind."

"Actually, most of us are covered in blood," Franz put in. "Princess Zelda seems to have been the only one to escape injury." Although she, too, had hugged Link, and her beautiful silk dress was ruined now. She didn't look like she cared, either.

"And Shad's in one piece," Ashei reported, tugging on the scholar's arm.

Midna did something, and the blood disappeared from her skin and clothes. "It's easy to get rid of, see?"

"Speak for yourself," Saria grumbled, picking at her tunic.

Link laughed and swung the diminutive Sage through the air, settling her on his shoulders. "Let's call it a day. I'm exhausted."

Zelda looked from the city to Kakariko. "I think Kakariko Village is closer from here. Shall we go there?"

Midna snapped her fingers. "Your wish is my command, Princess."

"We can let the children know that we won," Rusl said.

"All right," Link said, moving over to Epona and taking her reins. "Lead on, Midna."

.

In Kakariko, the inhabitants were startled to see such a huge crowd appear so suddenly. The uninjured ones, especially the Sages, helped Renado to patch up the injured ones. And Link went and restored Demon in the Spirit's Spring.

That was one of the reasons he believed Demon was a good person now: he reacted to the same healing methods that Link and the others did, and he didn't flinch from the Master Sword.

To his amusement, the first thing that Demon did was move over to where Midna was talking to Zelda and Franz, and begin hitting on her. "Well hello, beautiful! Come here often?"

She looked flatly down her long nose at him. "Only for the time being. Who are you?"

"He lets me call him Demon," Link said helpfully.

Demon grinned, one of his slightly unhinged grins that meant he was trying to disturb people. "If you really are descended from the Shadow Tribe, you might know me as Ajarai."

Midna hurriedly backed up several steps, looked around to make sure that no one was behind her, and backed up again some more. " _Ajarai!?_ The… the Fierce Deity?"

"Who is that?" Zelda asked, confused.

"Zelda, this… being destroyed three villages while wearing the Fused Shadow! We still tell stories about him and his mad lust for destruction! Link, how can you be friends with such a monster!?"

"Well," Link said mildly. "It's been a long time since then. Would you know Majora, then?"

"Majora was even worse than Ajarai! He didn't destroy… he warped and twisted. How do you know these creatures?"

"Well, I've saved your precious Link several times over…" Demon scowled. "Though I have to admit he freed me from servitude to Majora."

"I met Majora a while back," Link explained, for both Midna and Zelda's benefit. "He was in the form of a mask, and had taken control of an innocent Skull Kid and was terrorizing the land of Termina. I got involved when he kidnapped Epona and Navi. So Tatl helped me rescue them." He reached up, and all three fairies – Navi, Tatl, and Tael – came to rest on his hand. "Majora himself gave me Demon's mask, and I had to convince him that I deserved to wield his strength."

"He does," Demon said gruffly. "He has fun with it. I respect people who have fun swinging around massive swords." He patted the Helix Blade at his back. "And then he got my interest by telling me that using strength for destruction… ruined it. I wanted to see what else you could use strength for." He nodded at Link. "It's been an interesting journey. I had forgotten what it was like to have a human form, to interact with normal people."

"You let him talk to normal people?" Midna said, aghast.

Link frowned at her. "I'll work with anyone who's not flat-out evil. By the time we parted ways, I was pretty sure he wasn't going to blow up a continent or anything."

Demon smirked. "That still sounds like fun. But then I wouldn't get the fun of intimidating all the people in it."

"He still has… odd priorities, but he's not all that bad to know," Link said to Midna. "I'm sorry for his flirting, though. I didn't know he was capable of that."

Demon glared at Link. "You are an idiot. Have you no eyes?"

"Demon, I have a girlfriend."

"So?"

Link put his head in his hand as Zelda, Franz, and the fairies laughed.

Demon ignored them all and turned to Midna. "Did we get off on the wrong foot? I am Ajarai. But I'm not the Ajarai you tell tales of. Long years of servitude to a madman wore me out, and this boy civilized me. I'm not going to apologize for what I did. But I would like to be able to converse with you, Your Highness."

Midna's expression was wary, but she slowly came forward and offered Demon her hand to shake. "Very well. I am Midna, Princess of Twilight. I have been traveling with Link for the last few weeks, and… I will admit he tamed me as well. I used to hate the Light World for banishing us. But the people here are actually very kind. A lot like my own people."

Luda came up to Link. "Do you want Daddy to look at your injuries? Are you going to have a bath before dinner?"

"No, I don't think so," Link said. "I'd fall asleep there. Maybe afterwards."

Indeed, it was difficult for him to keep awake during the feast that the others had hastily prepared. Though it was worth it to see Ruto reunited with her little brother, Ralis, and to see Rusl hugging Colin and the other children. Through it all, Zelda floated gracefully, Impa never far behind her, greeting her subjects with a casual cheerfulness that suggested she had left her crown at home for the evening. If she had been dressed as Sheik, she would have fit right in.

Tatl and Tael were excited to meet Saria and Nati, as they hadn't met many fairies on their travels. She promised them a place to stay in the Kokiri Forest, if ever they parted ways from Demon. But it seemed they were very fond of the grouchy mask, and it didn't look likely that they would ever leave him. "Too exciting to leave," Tatl put it.

Goron Link was running around hyperactive with all the excitement, all the strange people from all over Hyrule. Link was sure he had never seen so many humans and almost-humans in one place before. Ilia was walking around in a daze. Impa greeted her, and she squeaked, intimidated by Impa's usual form. The Sheikah blinked in incomprehension. Rauru and Auru were off to one side, either arguing, or laughing about something.

He smiled sleepily at the gathering, sitting in a corner with Rana beside him. It was good to see Hyrule essentially united in celebration.

Saria came to sit by him. "I guess you're pretty tired. Is that why you're all the way over here?"

"Yeah…"

"He's more tired than I've ever seen him," Navi said. "I bet you're going to hurt tomorrow."

"I am."

"You should have that bath and go to bed."

"I suppose." He didn't feel like moving, even though he felt disgusting and his tunic was practically falling off with all the damage it had taken.

"Come on," Rana said, getting up and putting his arm over her shoulder. "Wish everyone goodnight, and I'll help you get to bed."

"Will you stay with me?" he asked, giving her his best puppy eyes, and she giggled and nodded.

He sank into bed twenty minutes later, clean, bandaged, in fresh clothes, and out like a light.

The next few days were spent in hectic activity, though not for Link. Link, Navi, Midna, Demon, Tatl, Tael, and Darunia stayed in Kakariko, while the others dispersed to their homes to spread the news. Not that anyone had known of Ganondorf's almost-coup, or heard more than a rumour of Zant, but they would get the whole story now. So Rusl and Ilia and the children went to Ordon, passing through the Forest where they dropped off Saria; Ruto and Ralis and Shoza returned to Zora's Domain, and the Resistance and Zelda and Franz – and their respective bodyguards – returned to Hyrule Castle to see how much damage had been done. Rana went with them – Zelda valued her company and input.

Link was glad for the rest. It took him a few days just to recover his strength, and he hoped that no world-threatening evils showed up in the meantime because he really didn't feel like fighting them, at the moment.

On the fourth day, Midna announced to him privately that it was time for her to go home. He was a little sorry for that, because he had very much enjoyed spending some unstressful time with the Twili Princess. But she had her own people to look after, and they had been oppressed worse than Hyrule.

Zelda happened to visit on that day, and so Midna took the two of them only when she teleported to the Mirror of Twilight. The Fused Shadow had been destroyed for good, but restored to her true self, Midna had a great deal of power on her own. When Link asked how they were going to get back, Zelda smiled and told him she would handle it. So he let her. His job for the moment was done, and he was going to take his vacation until tomorrow.

So they arrived at the Mirror quietly, unobtrusively.

Midna was silent for a few minutes. "I guess this is it."

"Is it?" Link asked, smiling.

She smiled back, but there was something sad in it. "Light and shadow can't truly mix. But… Just… never forget that there is another world bound to this one."

"Shadow and Light cannot exist without each other," Zelda said. "What is easy to forget is that neither are evil. I think I know why the Goddesses left this Mirror with us. It was their design that we should meet. A shame it had to happen under such adverse circumstances. But you are always welcome in Hyrule, you and any of your people who… are able to visit."

Midna considered that thoughtfully for a while. "Zelda… your words are kind, and your heart is true. If all in Hyrule are like you, and the people I've met… then perhaps you'll do all right."

She turned to stand in front of the Mirror, on the spot which would activate the stairs to the portal. "Thank you, both of you." She turned back to Link. "Well, the princess spoke truly: as long as that Mirror's around, we could meet again…" She bowed her proud head a little, and one tear trickled out of her eye. It sparkled and floated, and she lifted a hand as if to push it away. "Link… I…"

What was wrong?

"See you later…"

The tear floated into the very centre of the Mirror, and it cracked and splintered – in one piece, for now, but it was definitely…

"Midna!" Link cried in shock, and Zelda gasped. He turned to Midna, his eyes pleading.

Midna skipped up the stairs of light to the platform at the top and turned, shoulders set bravely, smiling. She locked eyes with him, and he could feel his own eyes filling with tears. After all they had been through together…

She dissolved into the portal, still smiling sadly, gently, and the Mirror burst into a thousand shards, twinkling as they floated through the air to the sand of the floor.

Link took a deep shuddering breath. "Only the true ruler of the Twili could destroy the Mirror."

"She did say she would see you later," Zelda said softly. "I guess she thought the Mirror was too dangerous to leave here, where anyone strong enough could get it."

"Hyrule and the Twilight Realm are a lot alike," Link said. "There will be another way. She's right. We will meet again. For now…" He turned and smiled at Zelda. "Let's go home."

She smiled back, and they became spheres of light that shot across the evening sky, back to Hyrule.


	22. Epilogue

Epilogue

.

Link walked into Telma's bar, Navi at his shoulder, looking around for Shad. The scholar had asked him to come by, as he had a question and a proposition for him. Link wondered if he was finally ready to go on the expeditions he had been talking about for all of twelve months.

Shad wasn't there yet. But he could see Rauru and Auru off in a corner, arguing about something over their beer. Link stopped by them. "Hello, what's new?"

"This blasted nuisance won't admit that there's more to life than training new knights for the Kingdom," Rauru complained.

"That's not what I said!" Auru rejoined. " _I_ said that there's more to life than meditating all day!"

Navi giggled.

Link smiled. "There's more to life than either of those things, although they're both beneficial."

"You've done much meditating?" Rauru asked doubtfully.

"No," Navi said.

"Maybe not in the traditional sense. My meditation is sparring, really. But to each his own, right?"

"See, he agrees with me," Auru said triumphantly. "But speaking of sparring, what did you think of the latest batch of recruits?"

"Some of them show definite potential," Link said. "But mostly it's showing me that there are corners in Hyrule that I haven't visited yet. Maybe we should make it part of screening that they have to bring a picture of their hometown."

"Look at you, the Captain of the Royal Guard, and already abusing your power," Navi teased.

Auru smiled, and then humphed. "I still don't think you should make your tunic ensemble into the official uniform."

Link shrugged. "I have it on good authority that it's an older Knight's uniform than Hyrule itself, and it's comfortable. But maybe once they rank up to full Knight, we can let the soldiers decide if they'd rather wear full armour. I don't have anything against it."

"You're too agreeable," Rauru told him. "What does Princess Zelda think?"

"She's… a bit distracted right now," Link said, and grinned. "Oh, there's Shad. I'll talk to you two later."

Shad had arrived with Ashei. "Ah! Link! Good to see you. Glad you're here."

"Shad! Ashei!" Navi cried in greeting, and Ashei waved at her.

"Sorry we're late," Ashei said. "He couldn't find one of his silly papers."

"It's not silly! Ah, can we get a table?"

They sat down at one of Telma's round cafe tables, and Telma came to coo over them and take their drink order. When she had gone, Link turned to them. "So, what did you want to speak to me about?"

"One moment," Shad said, digging in his satchel. "I need to organize a few things."

Ashei turned to him, leaning on her elbows. "Well, I can give you my news while he's getting ready. Although I thought he did this before he came. Anyway, I was up Snowpeak again last week. The mountain is quite mild. The glacier is cold, but not unseasonably so…"

"How are Yeto and Yeta?" Link asked. "Are they ready for Rana and me to visit?"

"They're good! Yeto's been pulling down trees in the valley and turning them into planks, ready for you. It's very nice of you to go up and help repair their house on your summer break from the castle. You could go anywhere in Hyrule."

"Well, I… felt bad for all the destruction that I wrought there last year, and there hasn't really been time to go up and put it right until now, what with everything happening all at once."

"Is Rana excited?"

"She's very excited. She thinks they're the most adorable people. Although she does think a lot of people are adorable." Link leaned forward and told Ashei in a stage whisper: "She even thinks you two are adorable!"

Ashei turned bright red. "W-what? I don't know anything about that. As if!"

Link laughed as Shad came up from his bag, pushing his glasses up his nose. "What?" asked the scholar. "Did something happen?"

Link was still grinning. "No, nothing. Don't worry about it. Ashei is just easy to tease, is all."

Shad frowned. "I don't find it easy to tease her. I'm not sure what you mean. But anyway… here is what I have. I've been looking at the Skycannon for the last six months, as you know, and the cannon experts agree that it's permanently damaged. There's no way for us to fix it without further knowledge, probably forgotten magic. So there will be no visits to the Sky's Loft any time soon."

"That's too bad," Navi said. "It was pretty up there."

"However, I have decided that an appropriate alternative study at this time is the Temple of Time. You gave me the Dominion Rod, and I am curious about the sealed portion of the Temple. …I was wondering if you would take me there, some weekend?"

"The weekend coming up is the long weekend," Link said. "How long are you planning to stay there?"

"I'll be guarding him," Ashei said. "So you don't have to stick around when you have work to do. But we've never been to that part of the Forest, so we'd need your help to get there."

"Well… sure. I have to seal the Master Sword, anyway."

"You're going to seal it?" Shad asked, his eyes wide. "But what if you need it again?"

"Then I know where it is. But the Temple of Time is a sacred place. Evil can't come within the actual walls of the temple, no matter how crumbled they may be. At least, that's what Zelda told me. So it's safer there than with me, in general. I've borne it overly long, this time."

Ashei's eyes moved back and forth in incomprehension, but Shad nodded. "If that is the case, I'm happy to provide you with an extra excuse to go back there. So shall we meet at the castle in three days?"

"Sure. Let's plan our route from there."

But before he could say anything, a heavy hand fell on his shoulder, and he jumped.

"You jumped?" Nabooru demanded from behind him. "You're losing your touch, Hero."

He smirked up at her. "Well excuse me for not watching my back in a bar full of friends."

"That's when you have to watch it the most," Nabooru told him. "How are you?"

"I'm doing well. Everything is going well. Still busy, working hard…"

"Keeping up with your martial skills, I hope?"

Link rolled his eyes. "That's about all I do these days. After Zelda put me on the recruitment posters, now everyone and their girlfriend…"

"Especially their girlfriend," Navi put in.

"…wants to join the Hyrule Army. We don't _need_ that many soldiers, just enough to have a decent corps. So I've been evaluating recruits for the last two months, and training the ones who joined up since last year."

"I saw one of those posters," Nabooru said. "It captures your hotness very well."

He raised an eyebrow. "Is that what they call it."

Navi snickered. "You are on fire, Hero of Time."

"Anyway, yes, if you're in town for the next couple of days, come to the castle and challenge me to a duel. It'll be good for the recruits to see me fight someone other than Auru and Rana all the time."

"Will do," Nabooru said. "I'm just popping in to see how my ambassadors are doing."

"How are your people?"

"It's not been a terrible summer," she admitted. "Lost two horses in a sandstorm a week back, but… it could be a lot worse. So there's that. The girls seem generally content with this lifestyle, and the ones who aren't… well, they can always go live with a Hyrulean man, so it's all the same to me. Anyway, I'd better go say hello to Telma, or she'll kick my butt. See you around, Hero."

Link raised his glass to her.

.

A couple days later, he walked through the castle gate, nodding cheerfully to the guards there, and heading around back to the barracks, where the recruits would be waiting for him to drill them. It was strange, having students. He wasn't sure if he was tough enough on them. But then, Auru was there to be tough on them. They had a decent partnership going on. Auru whipped them into some semblance of shape and scolded them for getting it wrong, and he fine-tuned everything and praised them for getting it right. The funny thing was, the recruits seemed to love them both equally.

Except this morning, there was a Zora waiting at the entrance to the parade ground.

"Hey, Shoza!" Navi squeaked.

"What brings you here?" Link asked.

Shoza ducked his head. "I have, uh, a wedding invitation for you. And Rana. And for Zelda, but I came here first 'cause I know you better."

Link smiled as he took it. "You're finally getting married?"

"Yup! It's awesome!"

"Congratulations! Now tell me, who proposed, you or Ruto?"

"Ruto did."

"Of course."

"Of course. …That's why…" He tapped the Zora's Sapphire, hanging at his throat.

"Oh, I didn't even notice," Link said. "I'm blind today."

"Is that so?" Auru asked. "Then you won't mind me…"

"No," Link said, reaching up and grabbing the wooden practice sword that Auru was going to swing at him, without looking. "I'll just be a minute, Auru."

"You go on with your friend," Auru said. "I'll deal with the soldiers today."

"Well, I…"

"Go on! Go have lunch with the Princess, or whatever it is you do when a Zora prince comes to visit."

Shoza's black eyes widened. "Oh yeah. I'm going to be a prince!"

"You didn't think about that?" Navi's wings halted momentarily, incredulously.

"Er… no! No, man! I forgot all about that. Kind of because sometimes I forget Ruto is a princess."

"She can have that effect," Link teased, leading them back towards the castle.

"No, dude, I mean, she's… she's a woman. A wonderful, strong woman."

"I know, I'm just teasing. Do you want to go give Zelda's to her?"

"Yeah, do you know where she's at?"

"I have a pretty good idea."

Link led them in one of the side doors of the castle, up two flights of stairs, and ended up in a hall that was mostly curtains and doors. There was only one guard around, and he pointed to one of the rooms. Link nodded to him, took a deep breath, and shouted " _Zelda_!"

" _Busy_!" he heard from one of the rooms. It sounded strangely muffled

"You're always busy!" he called back. He beckoned to Shoza. "Come on, let's surprise her."

He tiptoed into the room the guard had indicated, and saw something moving behind one of the curtains. He took three quick strides forward and tackled it.

There were two startled noises, and Franz appeared first from behind the curtain, red-faced and dishevelled. Zelda emerged after him, smoothing down her bodice and her hair hurriedly. Navi began giggling, and wouldn't stop.

Link crossed his arms. "Okay, you two."

"Oh, shut up," Zelda said, moving over to the desk by the window. "Like we never caught you and Rana doing that, Captain."

Link grinned incorrigibly. "Well, in this case, I have an official responsibility." He waved Shoza forward.

Franz had gone to the door. "Jakob, you're supposed to warn us when people are coming!"

"Sir Link gets special dispensation," Jakob said calmly from the hallway. The Prince and his guard had stayed in Hyrule, both as Labrynna's ambassadors, and also because Franz was completely smitten with Zelda. In the months that followed, she began to return his affections. No official word had come from Labrynna yet, but that was mostly because Franz hadn't sent any sort of official word. Yet.

Shoza handed Zelda her invitation. "Ruto and I are getting married in two months, and it would be an honour to have you and Prince Franz attend."

She looked up at him, and then began searching through her paperwork for her personal calendar. "It would be our pleasure! Congratulations! Franz, we'll be going to Ruto and Shoza's wedding, all right?"

"Yes, dearest," said Franz, perching on the edge of the desk. "Um… what should I wear for that?"

"Normal human dress clothes," Zelda told him. "Zoras are not big on ceremony, and they certainly aren't going to force humans to wear Zora ceremonial clothing. Although…" She stared at Franz thoughtfully, getting a pink tinge on her cheeks.

Franz blushed. "I'm not going naked!"

"Not naked!" Shoza was quick to say. "I know we are most of the time, by your standards, but we dress up at least to the waist for ceremonies."

"Oh, oh good."

There was a tap on the window, and Zelda turned and opened it, letting Rana and Naeri slip inside. "I guess it's a good thing you interrupted after all, Link."

"Huh?" Rana looked around at them, confused. "What did I miss?"

"Nothing important with these two," Link said, jerking his thumb at Franz and Zelda, and putting an arm around Rana. "Shoza's getting married!"

"No wayyy! Actually, I was expecting that. But hey! Congratulations!" Rana gave Shoza a big hug. "And hey, at least you'll be able to actually have babies with her."

Link snorted.

Rana turned to him. "We're going, right?"

"We are so going," Navi told her.

"We're all going," Link said, taking in the whole group. "Hey, Rana, are you free tomorrow?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Shad wants to go see the Temple of Time, so I'm taking him and Ashei down there tomorrow. Did you want to come with?"

"Sure, we can see Saria on the way. And maybe you can see your Ordon friends after!"

"May we come?" Zelda asked. "We can delegate our duties for one weekend. I'd like to see the Temple, too."

"Sure," Link said. "I'm sure Shad will love the opportunity to talk all your ears off."

"All right. I'll let Ilia know."

Ilia had moved to the castle a couple months after all the excitement the previous year, and Zelda had taken it upon herself to train her as Ordon's representative at court. Bo had been so proud he cried, when he first saw Ilia in her new silk gown. At first she had been extremely shy and out of her depth, but her good sense and her spunk soon won through, and she could hold her own in most debates. A couple of the nobles disliked her, but as she was officially Zelda's secretary, there wasn't much they could do about it.

Link didn't like those nobles either. Sometimes it was very hard to not rub in their powdered faces that he was the Captain of the Royal Knights and the Hero of Time and so he could do whatever he wanted without regard to them.

"Hey, Shoza," Navi spoke up. "Have you really seen the castle?"

"No…?"

"Link, Rana, you should take him on a tour of the castle. Since Zelda is 'busy' and all, and it wouldn't be proper for the future Prince of the Zoras to be wandering around alone."

Rana bounced on her toes. "You wanna do that, Shoza?"

.

The next day, eight humans and two fairies set out on horseback from the castle. Link and Shad were in front, followed by Rana and Ashei. Zelda and Franz trailed slightly behind, and Jakob and Impa brought up the rear. Shoza had gone with them part of the way on foot, but then turned east to visit Kakariko. He was inviting Renado and Luda, and Darunia and Goron Link, in gratitude for their help. He had also asked Ilia and Telma while he was in the capital.

Darbus was still chieftain of the Gorons, from the last Link had heard, and Darunia was free to devote his time to raising his son. Link wondered how long it took Gorons to grow to adulthood.

The group made good time across Hyrule Field, and only briefly paused at Lon Lon Ranch to greet Malon and her family. She had a tiny red-headed daughter, only a month old, which meant she couldn't fuss over the travelers to the extent she normally did. Alan smiled quietly in the background and wished them well. Talon and Ingo were actually working hard, although all Talon wanted to talk about was his perfect little granddaughter, of course.

Evening was drawing on as they came to Ordon Village. Rana went to give Bo greetings from his daughter, and the rest of them managed to find places to sleep around the village.

In the morning, they were swarmed with children – children far taller than before, children even more energetic and playful. Beth was wearing a dress that Ilia had sent her, a properly girly dress of the kind she had always wanted. She worked in her parents' store, but still scolded Talo for his improprieties whenever she could.

Talo – whenever he wasn't helping in his mother's garden – was dressing up in green and waving sticks at Colin, who was not dressing up in green, but actively waving sticks back. But Colin, they were told, also liked fishing, and was a capable baby-sitter for his little sister, who was toddling around everywhere she could.

Malo was managing his store in Kakariko long-distance, and was still entertaining hopes of opening a branch in Hyrule Castle Town. He was almost there, and was properly flabbergasted when Zelda promptly gave him a donation that made it possible.

Rusl was still the town warrior, and Fado was still the goatherd. Uli patiently supported her husband and son, and watched over her daughter with a care that put a strange look in Rana's eye.

They only stayed an hour to see everyone before they were off, riding to the Kokiri Forest, where Saria joined them. She sat with Rana on Falone, chattering away.

Link considered Epona. Although he could no longer talk to his horse, she still seemed more sympathetic and responsive than before, and he was making more of an effort to listen to her unspoken messages.

Midna had taken the Wolf Stone with her when she left, at least, he thought she did. He hoped it was a good souvenir. He still missed the Twili Princess, and although they never really talked about her, he knew the others did too. He hoped she was doing well.

Saria told them that Demon had been staying with the Kokiri for a while, but he had vanished again, and Tatl and Tael with them. She found him hard to read, and he creeped out the other children, but she thought he wasn't bad. Which was encouraging. Although Link regretted he hadn't visited Kokiri Forest more in the last few months, as he might have seen Demon more often.

When they arrived at the Temple, Zelda and Shad expressed shock. They still remembered how it had stood proudly to one side of the Castle Town square, back before the world had been changed. But Shad's dismay quickly turned to enthusiasm, even more so when Zelda played the Song of Time on the Ocarina of Time and revealed the entrance to the sealed chambers from the past.

Link and the others watched Shad, for a while. Ashei stayed glued to his side, obviously tense and expecting trouble. But Shad, oblivious, gradually won her over by the sheer blind enthusiasm he displayed for every little thing he discovered.

They spent the night at the Temple, and in the morning, the others began to head back.

Link waited until he was alone, the last one left – besides Shad and Ashei, who were deep in the sealed chambers – and took the Master Sword in his hand. He went to the back room of the Temple, looking around at the trees that had grown through the walls, the sunlight filtering down into the room, and stood at the little plinth that the Master Sword rested in. Taking the sword in both hands, he gently placed it back in its slot on the top of the plinth.

There was a gleam, a brief flash of light – and then the Master Sword was back home, exactly where he had taken from it a year before. It was sealed away again, and no evil would touch it, not until some invader threatened all of Hyrule, and some new Hero would venture there and take it in hand to fight for all that was peaceful and right.

The others had made it to the edge of the forest by the time he caught up with them again. He looked out at Hyrule Field, feeling his heart rise. There was something in him that was always restless, always thirsting for adventure. He loved the Castle, he loved the Forest, but his heart was always on the move, and he knew he would be that way for the rest of his life.

He didn't mind.

"I'll race you home," Rana said, and together they sped out across Hyrule Field, the others trailing behind them and their fairies laughing in their wake.

.

Author's note: future story ideas: to write about the Hero who sacrificed his life to stop the Shadow Tribe from seizing the Triforce, or another sequel about Link and Zelda and Franz?


End file.
